Don Adkisson's Posts - International Cowboy Church Alliance Network - ICCAN2024-03-28T09:17:56ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkissonhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2759863165?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://iccanlink.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=1r7dtmqeyxwlz&xn_auth=noEchoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2024-03-15:6284697:BlogPost:2345582024-03-15T20:07:30.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “There's no enemy quite as bitter as a friend who's turned against you.”</span></p>
<div> --Elmer Kelton (Jericho's Road)<br></br><br></br> "Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand."</div>
<div> --Matthew 26:46 (NKJV)<br></br>------------------------------<br></br>"Beware the Ides of March," so said the soothsayer to Julius Caesar, at least according to Shakespeare. If you have read the play you know that this is the day that Julius…</div>
<p><span> “There's no enemy quite as bitter as a friend who's turned against you.”</span></p>
<div> --Elmer Kelton (Jericho's Road)<br/><br/> "Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand."</div>
<div> --Matthew 26:46 (NKJV)<br/>------------------------------<br/>"Beware the Ides of March," so said the soothsayer to Julius Caesar, at least according to Shakespeare. If you have read the play you know that this is the day that Julius Caesar was assassinated by the mob, led by his friend Brutus. Brutus the betrayer.<br/> If you read Dante's, "The Divine Comedy," especially the section known as "The Inferno," you will find that it was Dante who depicted different levels of hell. Whether there are or not has led to much speculation and discussion, but it does lead to interesting reading, and it is thought provoking. I do want to point out the lowest, deepest, most foul level, according to Dante, is that in which he placed, or saw, the most despicable sinners--Brutus and Judas. Both are known as the greatest betrayers in history. Hmmm, wait a minute, that would leave room for one more, the greatest betrayer of all--Lucifer.<br/> Let me show you another betrayer; the one who betrays himself. James speaks of the hearer of the word, "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was." (James 1:23-24, NKJV). Many students that I knew kept a mirror in their locker. I would ask them why they look at themselves each time they open their locker. Did they forget what they looked like from the last time? Perhaps a pimple popped up or they had something stuck in their teeth. Why is it that we continue to go back to a mirror, is there something we didn't see the first time? Or is it that the mirror might be betraying us?<br/> The self-betrayer is a dangerous person. He can easily ruin his own life by doing so. Here are some examples of the person who believes lies about themselves. (Borrowing from Richard Dresselhaus) <br/> "I am unloved. That's a lie. God loves you...and so do others. I'm uncertain of my eternal salvation. That's a lie...as long as you are abiding in Christ. No one can erase your name from the Lamb's book of life. I am unattractive. That's a lie. God made you. So fix yourself up...and live with confidence. My life doesn't count. That's a lie...if you are living a life of obedience to the commands of Jesus. Life is unfair. That's a lie. Live for Jesus...and life is good."<br/>This is a short list, and true, others are deceiving and betraying you by saying these things, but you are betraying yourself by believing them.<br/> Then I think of the times that I have betrayed the Lord. It was Judas who betrayed Jesus to the guards. John writes, "And Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew the place; for Jesus often met there with His disciples." (18:2, NKJV) Matthew depicts the scene this way, "And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people." (26:47, NKJV) Yes, it was Judas, one of the twelve, one who had walked beside Jesus, had shared food with Him, and had slept around the same campfires. But look at who he brought: a multitude, the temple guards from the chief priests. Were they not betrayers as well? The leaders of the people; the ones to whom the people looked for spiritual guidance sent guards to arrest the only one who could actually do so. Wasn't that betrayal as well?<br/> How many times have I promised to do something for the Lord and failed--isn't that betrayal? How many times have I had to go to prayer in repentance? Stumbling and falling along the way--the narrow way. I said I would take up my cross, but there have been times I let it fall, and I pushed it aside. Betrayal! But there is something that John wrote; something that we should cling to when this happens, for it is only real betrayal if we grovel in our sins. It is only betrayal if we do not again pick up our cross. John said, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9, NKJV) Betrayal would be if we didn't recognize our sin and did not go to the Master. "[But] if we acknowledge and agree with God that we are sinners, He is faithful and righteous and will forgive us [of] our sins, and will cleanse us from every kind of iniquity and wrong." (Harbuck) <br/> That gives me hope. We could stay in the dust and boohoo that we failed. Or as many do, we could try to hide our sin, or say that it wasn't really that big of a deal. We read in Matthew that Judas was remorseful (27:3-5) but that is where it stopped. He stopped with remorse and did not continue with repentance. If we do the same, then we are betrayers as well.</div>
<div>D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2024-01-27:6284697:BlogPost:2340062024-01-27T17:11:11.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “The past is a memory, the future is a dream and we only live in the moment. It is how we live in the moment that matters.... It [the future] is determined by the will of God and the choices we make.”</span></p>
<div> --Dan Arnold (Bear Creek)</div>
<div><br></br> "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins."<br></br> --Ephesians 2:1 (NKJV)<br></br>-------------------------------<br></br> "Jesus said to her, 'Go, call…</div>
<p><span> “The past is a memory, the future is a dream and we only live in the moment. It is how we live in the moment that matters.... It [the future] is determined by the will of God and the choices we make.”</span></p>
<div> --Dan Arnold (Bear Creek)</div>
<div><br/> "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins."<br/> --Ephesians 2:1 (NKJV)<br/>-------------------------------<br/> "Jesus said to her, 'Go, call your husband, and come here.' The woman answered and said, 'I have no husband.' Jesus said to her, 'You have well said, "I have no husband," for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.'"<br/> --John 4:16-18 (NKJV)<br/><br/> There are many things to glean from this story in John. This woman was a Samaritan, an outcast in the eyes of orthodox Jews. They were called "dogs," mongrels to be precise. They lost their "racial purity" years before and continue the practice. To the Jews this was unpardonable. A little historical perspective is needed here. When the Assyrians conquered a people (this took place in Samaria about 720 B.C.) their practice was to exile some of the inhabitants to various locales. Some of the people in Samaria were left, and into Samaria, Assyrians brought other peoples from their conquests. Samaria was then a mixture of many peoples and the Jews of Samaria intermarried with them; thus they became "mongrels" in the sight of Jews. There is much more to this but that will suffice for now.<br/> A second thing that is apparent is that this woman who came to the well was a mess. Some interpret the "five husbands" to be but an allegory representing the people with whom the Samaritans intermarried with. From what I read and gathered; this was not the case but actually depicted the deplorable condition of the woman's life. Jesus points out to her the sinful states in which she was living. Think of all the problems, the stigma, the issues that this woman faced, not only in the minds of the people around her, but in her own mind. Then something marvelous happened--she came upon Jesus. <br/> Yes, there are many more lessons here, but I want to point out that when the woman left Jesus, she left changed. The day completely changed her outlook on life. It changed her attitude toward worship, towards God, towards others, and most importantly herself and her relationship with God. Imagine the woman, from this day forward. She didn't dread getting out of bed in the morning for it was the day the Lord had made for her. Instead of handing her head as she walked through the streets, she would greet people with a smile and perhaps a "God bless you." No longer did she carry the heavy burden of sin, but she walked with joy in her steps. Her weariness had turned into life of refreshing for she now had tasted of the "living water."<br/> When she saw the well a smile would cross her face. Her mind would always flash back to the moment when she found Jesus. But I believe that she went on with her walk with the Lord and that she saw the well as a place of salvation, of commitment, of refreshing. In our lives we all have moments like this, especially if you have been a Christian for long. Too many people live in the moment of past experiences. I remember a pastor telling the story of a dear saint in the church. At altar call, she would go to the same spot near the piano. She would kneel in such and such a posture with her right hand raised and white hankie in it. She was looking for the Lord to bless her again in a special way. She had not moved on! In reality she was making this spot, this one-time experience into an idol. It was sort of like Peter when he wanted to stay up on the mountain because of the glorious moments he experienced. The Lord had to remind him that it was down off the mountain, down in the valley that there was work to be done.<br/> In saying all of this, I want to get to my main point. Never, ever forget those experiences you have had with the Lord. They may be at an altar of prayer; it may be a time when He healed you, or delivered you from a certain disaster. Those are important, the Bible is full of scriptures that tell us to remember what the Lord has done. However, don't go to the well the next day and expect to find Jesus there. I would say three things that are important: Remember the past; Learn from the past; Don't try to relive the past.</div>
<div>D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2024-01-06:6284697:BlogPost:2335322024-01-06T21:57:56.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “We often value the wrong things. We can spend our lives working to surround ourselves with things that don't matter. We can sacrifice the things that do matter, to gain those things that don't.”</span><br></br><span> --Dan Arnold (Bear Creek)</span><br></br><br></br><span> "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."</span></p>
<div> --1 Corinthians 2:2…</div>
<p><span> “We often value the wrong things. We can spend our lives working to surround ourselves with things that don't matter. We can sacrifice the things that do matter, to gain those things that don't.”</span><br/><span> --Dan Arnold (Bear Creek)</span><br/><br/><span> "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."</span></p>
<div> --1 Corinthians 2:2 (NIV)<br/>----------------------------------<br/> “Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.”<br/> --Jonathan Edwards<br/><br/>RESOLUTION! Stop the nonsense about making resolutions. It is serious business! Either we make them or we don't, but it is nothing to be taken lightly. Someone said that a resolution is a "to do" list for the first week in January. Nonsense! A to do list is something that needs to be accomplished and then when it is it is crossed off. It is not for one day or for a week, but in reality it is for a lifetime. I have heard it said that a resolution is made to be broken. Nonsense! That is like saying I haven't broken the law if I don't get caught. Some people say that they don't make resolutions because they know they can't keep them. Okay, at least they do not make them in the first place, but that seems to be a lame excuse.<br/> RESOLUTION: (from the Oxford Dictionary)<br/> 1) a firm decision to do or not to do something. <br/> 2) the quality of being determined.<br/>We see here that a resolution involves determination, purpose, intention, decision, and resolve. It is not tip-toeing through the tulips; it is a definite march in whatever endeavor or decision that has been made. It is not a flippant phrase, but a determined effort to get something accomplished.<br/> Most resolutions that are made are first of all hastily made. They are not thought through.<br/><br/> "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it--lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?"<br/> --Luke 14:27-31 (NKJV)<br/><br/>Second, most resolutions deal with exercise, diet, losing weight, stopping some habit or forming one. These are not wrong, in fact, they can be very good. However, these are things that are not quite as weighty as what Luke was speaking of. Yet, at the same time, they take resolve, they take discipline and determination to accomplish. As I said earlier, resolutions are not flippantly made. They take consideration.<br/> David was resolved when he stood in front of Goliath. He did not waver, he did not back down. He was determined and had faith in God to see through the battle. One of the greatest resolution statements in the Bible are the words of Joshua, "...But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15, NKJV) Nothing was going to deter him from making sure he and his family were serving God. Paul resolved that "in whatever state I am, to be content" (Philippians 4:11, NKJV). These are but a small example of those who made firm resolutions before the Lord. In fact, go back to Luke 14. The verse just before the ones above speaks of definite resolution to follow Christ. "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:27, NKJV)<br/> Should we not be resolute in fixing our eyes upon Jesus in the coming year? Should we not determine that our steps are to be guided by the Holy Spirit? Should we not discipline ourselves so that we are not castaway? Should we not seek to be more like Him? Should we not take more earnest heed to our walk, and should we not be looking for His soon return? Should we not be redeeming the time because the days are evil? I would ask you again, before making a flippant resolution, or joke about making a resolution to think again. Think of our Lord, hasn't He made resolutions regarding us? Isn't He faithful to His word? He resolves to fulfill His promises. He is committed to His children. Thank the Lord that He is resolved to "give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand" (John 10:29-30, NKJV).<br/><br/> "I am determined, I've made up my mind,<br/> I'll serve the Lord.<br/> I've left the pleasures of this world behind,<br/> I'll serve the Lord...."<br/> --unknown</div>
<div>D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2023-12-30:6284697:BlogPost:2335292023-12-30T22:02:53.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “A man gets to thinking and fears about tomorrow and most of the time that's all it amounted to—fear.”</span></p>
<div> --D.C. Adkisson (Mal de Ojo)<br></br><br></br> "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."</div>
<div> --Psalm 16:11 (NKJV)<br></br>---------------------------------<br></br>Ecclesiastes 6:7, comes right and tells us our problem. "All the labor of…</div>
<p><span> “A man gets to thinking and fears about tomorrow and most of the time that's all it amounted to—fear.”</span></p>
<div> --D.C. Adkisson (Mal de Ojo)<br/><br/> "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."</div>
<div> --Psalm 16:11 (NKJV)<br/>---------------------------------<br/>Ecclesiastes 6:7, comes right and tells us our problem. "All the labor of man is for his mouth, And yet the soul is not satisfied." (NKJV) Man is hungry; it may be for food, or pleasure, or fame, or self-satisfaction. He may feed it in different ways, but the end is the same--his soul is not satisfied.<br/> When troubles arise, man attempts to find a solution. He seeks the answers to his dilemma when the best source would be to seek God. In that crazy, insane time of the COVID virus, man thought he could solve the problems. Man-made solutions and they didn't work. Did you know that in the midst of all the commotion and fear that the Throne of God was calm. God is never taken by surprise nor does He ever get anxious.<br/> Much of man's hunger, which will lead to his lack of satisfaction, is that he always wants what he wants, and he wants it his way. He would rather fight with God, or maybe more today, ignore that God exists, than to find satisfaction in his soul. I had to chuckle a little when I read something from C.S. Lewis, "To argue with God is to argue with the very power that makes it possible to argue at all."<br/> Man might pray, but he wants God to answer his prayers, his way. He is telling God that he has a better answer, but God has the power. Part of the problem with man is that without God he is lost. He doesn't know his way. Oh, he might think he does, but after he has tried everything he will come to the same conclusion that Solomon did, "all is vanity."<br/>Try this, try that--still no satisfaction. Eat this, eat that, oh, try some of that fancy gourmet food--still no satisfaction. Try Buddhism, Hinduism, Isalm, or any of the other "isms" out there and the answer in the heart will still be the same--it will be void and there will be no satisfaction.<br/> I have heard many, many times, "I hope they will be happy," or "I just want to be happy." A couple gets married, out of the faith, and the mother says, "I just want for my baby to be happy." Happiness is not fulfillment. Happiness depends on something happening, an object. People strive to be happy and guess what? The soul is not satisfied. "If you devote your life only to the pursuit of happiness, you will be miserable; however, if you devote your life to doing God's will, you will find happiness as well." (Warren W. Wiersbe)<br/> After so long seeking after happiness, seeking after a full stomach, seeking for pleasure and trying to get ahead all you will find might be some pleasure in the seeking but the final product brings no soul satisfaction. Trying to start at the top without paying your dues will eventually bring you exhaustion, frustration, and a longing for something to satisfy your soul. Solomon writes, "Since there are many things that increase vanity, how is man the better?" (Ecclesiastes 6:11, NKJV) He continues in the first part of verse 12, "For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow?" Man certainly doesn't know. Everything he tries is futile, what hope does he have? Turn to God, only He can satisfy your soul. He knows what is good for man in life. In fact, He is saying, "I'm working on your life. Don't fight Me."<br/> Let me enlighten you with one more thing. There are some things in life that nobody can answer. Simple fact. When those times come, and they will, you must learn then to have faith and trust in the Master. He knows the answers when man or you cannot find an answer. FAITH---TRUST!<br/><br/> "I don't know about tomorrow,<br/> I just live from day to day.<br/> I don't borrow from its sunshine,<br/> For its skies may turn to gray.<br/> I don't worry o'er the future,<br/> For I know what Jesus said,<br/> And today I'll walk beside Him,<br/> For He knows what is a head.<br/><br/> Many things about tomorrow,<br/> I don't seem to understand;<br/> But I know who holds tomorrow,<br/> And I know who holds my hand."<br/> --Ira Stanphill</div>
<div>D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2023-12-20:6284697:BlogPost:2336282023-12-20T16:32:17.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “Christmas is not in tinsel and lights and outward show. The secret lies in an inner glow. It's lighting a fire inside the heart. Good will and joy a vital part. It's higher thought and a greater plan. It's a glorious dream in the soul of man.”</span><br></br><span> --Wilfred A. Peterson</span><br></br><br></br><span> "For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine…</span></p>
<p><span> “Christmas is not in tinsel and lights and outward show. The secret lies in an inner glow. It's lighting a fire inside the heart. Good will and joy a vital part. It's higher thought and a greater plan. It's a glorious dream in the soul of man.”</span><br/><span> --Wilfred A. Peterson</span><br/><br/><span> "For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]."</span></p>
<div> --Colossians 2:9 (Amplified)<br/>--------------------------------------<br/> "So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 'Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us.'"<br/> --Matthew 1:22-23 (NKJV)<br/><br/> The mystery of the Incarnation flows from the infinite mind of God. His ways are for surely above and deeper than we could even begin to imagine. F.F. Bruce wrote, "He manifested the form of God in the form of a servant... He shared the true nature of God." The "I AM" was being revealed to mankind in a new and different way. God did not change, but He presented Himself in the form of man. The more I think of the Incarnation the more I am amazed. It is incomprehensible. "The Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the Incarnation." (J.I. Packer)<br/> Scripture declares that He was born of a virgin. Isaiah prophesied many years before, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (7:14, NKJV) The above verse in Matthew proclaims the validity of that prophecy. Furthermore, Luke writes, "to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. (1:27, NKJV)<br/> Because Jesus was virgin-born He did not inherit original sin. He was the "second Adam." No sin, and unlike Adam, remained sinless. This virgin-birth "cannot be explained away. It can only be accepted or denied. It is history or the boldest fiction." (Encyclopedia of the Bible). We see in the first three Gospels the emphasis being placed upon Jesus' humanity. He was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:4-7); there was the flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15); He was anointed at His baptism in the Jordan (Matthew 3:13-17); and was tempted of the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). "The New Testament writers never attempt to dissect the mystery of His person; it is enough for them to proclaim the incarnation as a fact, one of the sequences of mighty works whereby God has wrought salvation for sinners" (New Bible Dictionary). Only Joseph and Mary alone knew the tremendous secret.<br/> This is the "mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh" so wrote the Apostle Paul. Jesus, not less than man, was more than man. He came to His own world as a visitor; He came from God, and went to God. The Incarnation is not the diminishing of deity, but the acquiring of manhood. The Son in person began to live a fully human life. We can now relate fully to God for He became like us.</div>
<div> D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2023-10-09:6284697:BlogPost:2315342023-10-09T15:31:28.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “The mountains, with their aspens and pines framed by snowcapped peaks, had been like a balm to his soul.”</span></p>
<div> --Duane Boehm (Sun Over the Mountains)<br></br><br></br> "Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountains to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God."</div>
<div> --Luke 6:12 (NKJV)</div>
<div>-------------------------</div>
<p><span>A quotation that is a favorite of mine, and often comes to my…</span></p>
<p><span> “The mountains, with their aspens and pines framed by snowcapped peaks, had been like a balm to his soul.”</span></p>
<div> --Duane Boehm (Sun Over the Mountains)<br/><br/> "Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountains to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God."</div>
<div> --Luke 6:12 (NKJV)</div>
<div>-------------------------</div>
<p><span>A quotation that is a favorite of mine, and often comes to my thoughts is from the pen of Louis L'Amour. "Look to the hills. They are quiet. The storms sweep over them, and are gone, and most of man's troubles pass the same way. Whenever you feel that things are getting too much for you, go to the mountains or the desert--it smoothes out the wrinkles in your mind." Jesus must have understood some of this. We are told that He often went alone into the wilderness to pray. To be in His creation, that formed from the words of His mouth was a regular habit of His. </span><br/><span> However, most of the time, at least in recent years, I contemplate those scenes in my memory or from photos. I look out the window where I do my morning reading and writing and can see the forest where we live. It is not much, but there is still solitude under the trees as their branches sway in the wind. I recall the words of Thomas Merton, "The silence of the forest, the peace of the early morning wind moving the branches of the trees, the solitude and isolation of the house of God; these are good because it is in silence, and not in commotion, in solitude and not in crowds, that God best likes to reveal Himself most intimately to men."</span><br/><span> What I saw on this past trip was what man calls "progress." The once mountains where I roamed were filled with houses and other structures. The roads were paved and the traffic vastly increased. More and more I see that "the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now." (Romans 8:23, NKJV) There is a groaning and moaning as God's marvelous creation is in pain from the advances of progressive man. It will continue until that time in the near future when Jesus Christ will reign on earth during the Millennial and remove the curse.</span><br/><span> Special spots that I have been to, camped in, hunted and fished, and enjoyed a special time with the Lord whether actively seeking Him or just enjoying the presence of Him in His creation. Those special spots are a glimpse of heaven on earth. Bernard Brady wrote, "Heaven is a place and sense of being." That is true, but it is far more. Heaven is the hope of the Christian. Mountains in their grandeur stretch up toward the heavens, but it will be nothing in comparison with what God has for us for Heaven is not just a sense of being, it is a real place. There are those special places here, now. There is "that spot that has much charm, it greatly soothes weary minds, relieves anxieties and cares, helps souls who seek the Lord greatly to devotion, and recalls to them the thought of the heavenly sweetness towards which they aspire." (Bernard of Clairvaux) But one day, we shall actually be in the presence of God. Heaven is where God lives; it is our spiritual home, a place that is reserved for us.</span><br/><span> "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." (1 John 3:2, NKJV) That will be in Heaven. "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:1-3, NKJV). That's better than just smoothing out the wrinkles in our minds--that is Heaven.</span></p>
<p><span>D.C. Adkisson</span></p>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2023-08-12:6284697:BlogPost:2305502023-08-12T19:55:47.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “Work helps me put my troubles aside.”</span></p>
<div> --D.C. Adkisson (Outlaws of Boulder Canyon)<br></br><br></br> "We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."</div>
<div> --1 Thessalonians 1:3 (HCSB)<br></br>---------------------------------<br></br> "Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with…</div>
<p><span> “Work helps me put my troubles aside.”</span></p>
<div> --D.C. Adkisson (Outlaws of Boulder Canyon)<br/><br/> "We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work of faith, labor of love, and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."</div>
<div> --1 Thessalonians 1:3 (HCSB)<br/>---------------------------------<br/> "Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ)."<br/> --Philippians 2:12 (Amplified)<br/><br/>For some reason this verse seems to baffle many people. It is that one little phrase, "work out." It is that phrase that frustrates so many Christians. I purposely used the Amplified Version to give a clearer picture of the verse. The Greek word for work is, "katergazomai" which means to "achieve, effect by toil, work out" (Vine). The NKJV Study Bible gives some background as to the meaning. It was used to describe the digging of silver out of silver mines. "Thus salvation can be compared to a huge gift that needs to be unwrapped for one's thorough enjoyment." We are to cultivate our salvation and bring it to full effect. In other words, pursue spiritual maturity.<br/> Salvation is a gift--never forget that. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8, NKJV) It has already been paid for, the work has already been accomplished. Yet, now, once we are saved we begin to "work out" our salvation. We do not "work for" but we "work out." Get that for its vitally important!<br/> Let me give a few examples. A person might give you a jigsaw puzzle--that is the gift. Now, it is up to you to put it together; to work it out. The gift is ours, now we are to put it together. Another way to look at it might be the illustration that was used by Charles Atlas. Some of you might remember the ads for his workout regimine. There is a young, puny-looking lad, frail, spindly and a muscle-man comes by where he is sitting and kicks sand in his face. The boy has a body, but it is not developed. He must "work out" to make it into an intimidating physical specimen. He goes to the gym, looks in the mirror at his weak body, then begins to lift weights, run, and does calisthenics. His body begins to change and with it his attitude. He is "working out."<br/> One more example: hold that baby in your arms. My what a sweet little thing and you stand it on its feet, and splat, it goes right on its face. You determine that you will never let it out of your arms. But then what about your life? So eventually, over time, you watch and guard the baby as it grows from babyhood to becoming a toddler with all of the bruises that go with it. From those first steps, he is working out his muscles, gaining confidence, and moving on toward the next stage of life.<br/> In other words, to "work out" means to develop who you are in Christ. Oh, you may fall along the way, get some scraps on your arms and scratches on your knees, but you are progressing. The Holy Spirit is within you and whether you realize it or not there is a magnificent fruit growing in you. Alistair Begg states, "the Christian life is a joyful--and at times painful--voyage of discovery." We are now to walk, to live out, to act out Paul's instruction regarding our salvation.<br/> I am going to borrow some more from Begg in describing how to "work out." "The call to work out our salvation is a call to consistency. Just as we called on the name of the Lord to save us at the start of our Christian lives, so we must continue to call on His name. This takes very ordinary, practical forms in our lives. We continue to come before God in prayer. We continue to gather with fellow believers for worship. We continue to hear from Him in Scriptures. We continue to strive to walk in His grace, putting sin to death and growing in spiritual fruit. We work at the Christian life, for we remember that no one matures as a believer by accident."<br/> We do not need to work for our salvation nor do we need to work on our salvation. That part is finished and the work has been secured. Now, we are to "work out" our salvation so that we are in shape--more and more like Christ. That's why 1 John is such an important book. If we fail in our working out we can go to Christ who will forgive and cleanse us (1 John 1:9). This verse is for the Christian who is working out his salvation. We don't jump from the light once we are walking in it over into darkness, then back into the light and so on. We walk in the light, working out our salvation.</div>
<div> D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2023-07-22:6284697:BlogPost:2302222023-07-22T17:07:07.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “He always seemed two baths short of Saturday.”</span><br></br><span> --Cliff Hudgins (The Weathervane Ranch)</span><br></br><br></br><span> "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!"</span></p>
<div> --Hebrews 9:14 (NIV)<br></br>--------------------------------------<br></br>Let's take a…</div>
<p><span> “He always seemed two baths short of Saturday.”</span><br/><span> --Cliff Hudgins (The Weathervane Ranch)</span><br/><br/><span> "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!"</span></p>
<div> --Hebrews 9:14 (NIV)<br/>--------------------------------------<br/>Let's take a little time to ponder that wonderful word--"righteousness." To start, we need some background information. We'll start with the Tabernacle. Inside the walls was the brazen altar. It was a messy, gruesome, bloody place where the priests continually made sacrifices for the people. It shows us that to enter God's presence we must come first to the place of sacrifice.<br/> Between the altar and the Tent of Meeting was the laver. Think of this, the priests were making sacrifices but before they could enter the Tent of Meeting they had to stop at the altar and wash their hands and feet. They had already gone through purification rights before making the sacrifice, but now they had to stop and wash their hands and feet again. They had become stained with blood, dust, dirt, and therefore the priest had to cleanse himself.<br/> Now to the New Testament and on to the upper room. We see Jesus, stooped over, a rag in hand and He is washing the disciples' feet. He comes to Peter, where Peter asks, "Lord, are You washing my feet?" (John 13:6, NKJV) Jesus tries to explain, but impetuous Peter continues, "'You shall never wash my feet!' Jesus answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.'" (13:8, NKJV) <br/> Peter still did not understand, but he wanted the Lord. He cried out and said, "Give me a bath." (my paraphrase of 13:9) "Jesus said to him, 'He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.'" (13:10, NKJV) Back to the tabernacle--the priest was clean, but on his way to the Tent of Meeting, his hands and feet became dirty. They needed washing. We, after accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, are clean, but through the toils of the day we get dirty and need our "hands and feet" cleaned. Not a new salvation, but some cleansing. That's why John writes, "If we confess our sins, (this is going to the laver, or having our feet washed) He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9, NKJV)<br/> Journeying through this world we come in contact with evil. Our lives have become tainted, we're stained. But we don't ask for salvation again, we asked for the cleansing power of Jesus to sweep over us. The "dirt" of the day needs to be washed away. We don't need a bath, but only our hands and feet need to be clean. The altar took care of the sin; we start to go meet with the Lord in righteousness, but before we get to Him, we are stained by the world and are in need of cleansing. <br/> This is only a short synopsis of the symbols, therefore it needs more contemplation by you. Another aspect to look at is the importance of being "clean" before we meet with the Lord. When we partake of the Lord's Supper we need to make sure our hearts are clean. This is all symbolized by the washing. It is why, when we lay our heads on our pillows at night, we pray that the Lord forgive us our sins of the day; it is part of that cleansing.</div>
<div> D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2023-06-30:6284697:BlogPost:2300432023-06-30T16:24:12.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “But to think and brood and grieve would be fatal. Let him watch and listen. Nothing in that wilderness was trivial.”</span><br></br><span> --Zane Grey (Stranger From the Tonto)</span><br></br><br></br><span> "Give ear and hear my voice, listen and hear my speech."</span></p>
<p> --Isaiah 28:23 (NKJV)<br></br>---------------------------------------<br></br>Are we hearing? Are we to the point where we are unable to hear? For many, the ears have grown…</p>
<p><span> “But to think and brood and grieve would be fatal. Let him watch and listen. Nothing in that wilderness was trivial.”</span><br/><span> --Zane Grey (Stranger From the Tonto)</span><br/><br/><span> "Give ear and hear my voice, listen and hear my speech."</span></p>
<p> --Isaiah 28:23 (NKJV)<br/>---------------------------------------<br/>Are we hearing? Are we to the point where we are unable to hear? For many, the ears have grown callused; they are hardened against the Word of God. Read the letters to the churches in Revelation. Look at what the Lord says at the end of each letter: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."<br/> I hear the cry for revival among some circles, but then I look at other areas and I see the church compromising and being complacent with sin. A preacher, with some common sense, has said, “Evil preaches tolerance until it is dominant, then it tries to silence good.” Do you hear the voice of evil, or do you hear the voice of the Spirit? Are you hard of hearing, or do you hear clearly the Holy Spirit speaking? It cannot be both. You cannot be of the world and of the Kingdom. Let me pass on to you the words of Micah and Nahum.<br/><br/> "You who hate good and love evil; who strip the skin from My people, and the flesh from their bones.... Then they will cry to the LORD, but He will not hear them; He will even hide His face from them at that time, because they have been evil in their deeds. Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who make my people stray; who chant 'Peace' while they chew with their teeth, but who prepare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths: therefore you shall have night without vision, and you shall have darkness without divination; the sun shall go down on the prophets, and the day shall be dark for them."<br/> --Micah 3:2, 4-6 (NKJV)<br/><br/> "I will cast abominable filth upon you, make you vile, and make you a spectacle."<br/> --Nahum 3:6 (NKJV)<br/><br/> Do I hear the voice of the prophet, of the preacher? Where is the cry from behind the pulpit? Yes, there are those who preach faithfully the Word. Yes, there are those who are listening to the voice of the Spirit. But as a nation...as a nation, whose voice is being heard? We are living in a time where "everyone did what was right in his own eyes," (Judges 21:10, NKJV) and forsaking the Word of God. Listen, the precepts, principles, and promises of God are forever, they are absolute, and they are not to be scorned or mocked.<br/> I believe we are living in the beginning of a time of judgment. It has not fallen because of the faithful. I recall the story of Abraham interceding for the people of Sodom, but there will come a time when evil overcomes the faithful. The cry of evil will be louder, the people will hear and listen to it rather than the voice of the Spirit. Now is the day of salvation! People want something new so they are turning to the old ways of evil with a new name--Progressive...Woke. Read the Bible, often we see that the "silence of God was the judgment of God." (Wiersbe) Woe unto us when God no longer speaks.<br/> "Speak my Lord, speak, and I'll be quick to answer Thee..." (George Bennard) "Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.... He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 3:11,13, NKJV)</p>
<div> D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2023-05-23:6284697:BlogPost:2299082023-05-23T16:25:42.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “I guess a man doesn't remember the 'howdys' as much as the 'so longs.'”</span></p>
<div> --Stephen Bly (One Went to Denver...)<br></br><br></br> "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God."</div>
<div> --Psalm 20:7 (NKJV)<br></br>-------------------------------------<br></br> "We shall meet, but we shall miss him.<br></br> There will be one vacant…</div>
<p><span> “I guess a man doesn't remember the 'howdys' as much as the 'so longs.'”</span></p>
<div> --Stephen Bly (One Went to Denver...)<br/><br/> "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God."</div>
<div> --Psalm 20:7 (NKJV)<br/>-------------------------------------<br/> "We shall meet, but we shall miss him.<br/> There will be one vacant chair.<br/> We shall linger to caress him<br/> While we breathe our ev'ning prayer."<br/> --Henry S. Washburn<br/><br/>This song was written towards the beginning of that horrendous epoch in our history--the Civil War. It became very popular during the War and continued on afterwards. The War left many vacant chairs in households across our country and this song was a reminder to the people of the household of the one who once sat in that chair and joined them at the dinner table.<br/> That is one of the main purposes of funerals (i.e., celebration of life) to remember. Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes that it is better for us to go to funerals than to parties. For in attending a funeral we tend to remember. We remember the person, their life, their times, what they did, anecdotes about them and so on. That is why the Tomb of the Unknown is so important for there are thousands who died who no one knows where or when, but I will say that there is/was a household somewhere, someplace with a vacant chair.<br/> Memories, they are so important as we go through this life and especially so as we move toward the end of life. Dr. Seuss said, "Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory." Little things sometimes are what we remember. Gestures, word usage, are all part of a memory. It is hard for me to think of my Grandma Adkisson without hearing what she called her, "Okie Malookie," or to point with her bony finger. <br/> The word, "remember" means, "member me again." It is the hope of one leaving the family circle, it is the hope of the scene of those at the casket; it was the hope of the man next to Jesus on the cross. Whenever you gather together--remember me. Whenever the family comes to sit around the fire on a cold winter's evening--remember me, the one who used to sit in that now vacant chair. They want us to know, to remember, that even though gone, removed from us, that they are still a member of the family.<br/> George Matheson writes that "what most of us fear in death is not that we shall cease to be; it is that we shall cease to be members of the family of man." He brings forth the cry of the one ready to depart this life. "Shall we be members of the earth no more? Shall the last link be broken that binds us to the clay? Shall we be blotted out from time? Shall we part from the seen and temporal? Shall our feet have no right to be listened for in the march of the earthly army? We stretch our hands through the void and cry, 'Member me again--remember me!'"<br/> Even Jesus, in that solemn sacrament of the Lord's Supper said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me... This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." (1 Corinthians 11:25, 25, NKJV) The calls for us to remember, not His death, but to remember Him, the focus should be on Him. Whenever we think of the cross and the resurrection our focus should be on Jesus. Whenever we go to church and participate in all of the functions and liturgy our focus should be drawn to Him--to remember Him.<br/> I had most of this thought and written out before my wife and I attended a "celebration of life" of a dear and old friend. I have fond memories of her--we would call that part of her legacy. We do not have to fear not to be remembered. Being in Christ is a promise that restores life to the body. One day we will be in that joyous throng in heaven, always to be remembered. For the Lord never forgets any of us. We are not just a number, but we are an eternal soul to Him. When death tries to dissolve the tie with man on this earth, Jesus welcomes us with open arms to the true brotherhood of man saying--I remembered you.</div>
<div>D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2023-04-05:6284697:BlogPost:2286672023-04-05T20:51:28.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “Things are changin', me and other folk...ain't much more than relics of a time that's gone...and it ain't comin' back.”</span></p>
<div> --Lou Bradshaw (and Cain Smiled)<br></br><br></br> "But hold fast what you have till I come."</div>
<div> --Revelation 2:25 (NKJV)<br></br>------------------------------------<br></br>Have you ever noticed that when reading the Bible, light all of a sudden dawns in your brain? You can read a portion over and over,…</div>
<p><span> “Things are changin', me and other folk...ain't much more than relics of a time that's gone...and it ain't comin' back.”</span></p>
<div> --Lou Bradshaw (and Cain Smiled)<br/><br/> "But hold fast what you have till I come."</div>
<div> --Revelation 2:25 (NKJV)<br/>------------------------------------<br/>Have you ever noticed that when reading the Bible, light all of a sudden dawns in your brain? You can read a portion over and over, then, wham one day a different perspective is shown or a part of the verse never noticed before is seen. I do want to mention something about prophecy. So often there is a misconception regarding prophecy for it means telling the truth. I may or may not have something to do with the future. Remember, if you read the words of the prophets, they were primarily writing and speaking to the people of their day, however, the covenant background may be seen in their words at times, also there may be messianic and eschatological messages in their speaking.<br/><br/> "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols."<br/> --Hosea 11:1-2 (ESV)<br/><br/> In verse one it is clear to see a double prophecy. First is the idea that God loved Israel, He regarded Israel as His son. He cared for them, treated them with special care, made special covenants with them, and delivered them in many instances but clearly from the slavery of Egypt. We also see this as a Messianic prophecy. Matthew writes, "Out of Egypt I called My Son." (Matthew 2:15, NKJV) You may remember that Joseph was warned to take the baby Jesus and Mary and flee to Egypt until the time of Herod's death.<br/> That's the portion that is very familiar to me. But verse two is what struck me this time. Look at it closely, take time to contemplate it. "The more they were called, the more they went away..." A Jewish text reads, "I sent prophets to a thousand of them." (Targum) The prophets were sent to Israel, God's "son". They had messages of repentance, warning, about proper worship and living. However, look at the verse, "the more they were called, the more they went away." Think of the access to the gospel we have today. God is speaking, God is always speaking, but more and more the people are turning away. There is the call to repentance, but it falls on deaf ears. The people do not want to hear the voice of God; they want to do what is right in their own eyes.<br/> I remember in years gone by I would try to tune in the radio in the car, or on my transistor. It seems that most of the time all I got was static. That was the way of Israel when Hosea prophesied, the message was often jammed with other messages, or static interfered. Static coming from the peoples' hearts. The more they went from God the more they turned to Baals. We see it happening today; we see the words of Paul coming tragically more and more true, "...who exchanged the truth of God for the lie..." (Romans 1:25, NKJV). The more people were given the opportunity to know God the more they resisted. Paul writes, "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting." (Romans 1:28, NKJV)<br/> When the radio waves cry out a voice of repentance, when the media is full of scripture verses, podcasts, sermons--the voice of repentance is there, but are the people listening or are they turning more and more to their Baals? Israel upon the word of God coming to them, "kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols." Remember, many of those sacrifices were children. Do we see the sacrificing of our children in abortion? Maybe more deceiving and more sinister are the drag queens reading to children in the schools. The media spewing forth the vomit of transgendering and the gay agenda. The more people are called, it seems, the more they went away.<br/> Back to prophecy, it is speaking the truth. The prophet spoke to the people of his day, but the message may be for those of the future. It may be eschatological and show us that we are indeed, living in the last days. Jesus spoke about the offenses to children, but His words rang deeper than just the children, "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!" (Matthew 18:6-7, NKJV).</div>
<div>D. C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2023-04-01:6284697:BlogPost:2287462023-04-01T20:21:20.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “Bein' stupid ain't a crime in this country. If it was, there'd be more folks behind bars than what's walkin' down the streets.”</span></p>
<div> --Lou Bradshaw (and Cain Smiled)<br></br><br></br> "O you simple ones, understand prudence, and you fools, be of an understanding heart."</div>
<div> --Proverbs 8:5 (NKJV)<br></br>------------------------------------<br></br>I have been perusing my notes from a class I have taught in the past on the Minor…</div>
<p><span> “Bein' stupid ain't a crime in this country. If it was, there'd be more folks behind bars than what's walkin' down the streets.”</span></p>
<div> --Lou Bradshaw (and Cain Smiled)<br/><br/> "O you simple ones, understand prudence, and you fools, be of an understanding heart."</div>
<div> --Proverbs 8:5 (NKJV)<br/>------------------------------------<br/>I have been perusing my notes from a class I have taught in the past on the Minor Prophets. If you haven't read them much, I would suggest you take the time and read through them. Look at the conditions of Judah and Israel and compare them with today. Most recently I have been reading the Book of Amos. This is a book that should make you stand up and take notice. Upon rereading it, I kept thinking, "when is enough...enough"?<br/> One of the most familiar verses from Amos is, "'Behold, the days are coming,' declares the Lord God, 'When I will send a famine on the land, not a famine for bread, or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the LORD.'" (Amos 8:11, NASB) If people do not want God He will turn away from them and let them go their own way. Similar to those in Judges when everyone did what was right in their own eyes. (Judges 21:25). Relative truth--postmodern truth--truth is what an individual wants to make it. When it is apparent that people do not want God; He will give them what they want and will quit protecting and speaking to them. Woe to that nation! Woe to that person!<br/> We read in Amos of the false prophets and the wayward high priest. It was this high priest, Amaziah who told Amos to leave and go somewhere else. This kind of irked Amos, and I can imagine him pointing a bony finger at Amaziah and pronouncing the prophecy against him and his family. Amos proclaimed, that the wife of Amaziah would become a harlot, his sons and daughters would fall by the sword, and that Amaziah would die in a foreign land (Amos 7:10-17)<br/> But I want to draw your attention to the first part of chapter 8. Israel has not, will not repent. They know the way. The prophets, such as Amos, have proclaimed the truth to them, but to no avail--there is no repentance. When Jonah preached to Nineveh, the capital of that dreaded nation of Assyria, the people repented and God spared them. However, years later they did not hearken to the words of the prophet Nahum and were destroyed. When is enough--enough? Throughout history, God has allowed kingdoms to rise and to fall, and now He is telling Amos to proclaim to the people of Israel their fall.<br/> Amos prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II (793-753 B.C.) In verse 2 of chapter 8, Amos lowers the boom. God has called time and time again for Israel to repent, but now He says, "The end has come for My people Israel. I will spare them no longer." That should sober us. The U.S. should hearken to these words; every individual should listen to these words--there is a time when God says "enough is enough." It was within a generation of Amos that destruction, death, and terror came. Assyria invaded in 722 B.C. carrying the people away into captivity. Read in Amos some of their treacherous methods; putting fishhooks through eyelids to lead them away. It wouldn't take much tugging to get one's attention. Assyria ruled through fear and terror and Israel felt the brunt of it. Think of it, 722 B.C. and Israel ceased to be. Judah lasted another hundred years and was conquered by Babylon in 606 B.C. No longer a nation, no longer identifiable. They wanted to do things their way instead of God's and they lost their identity. For close to three millennia there was no nation called Israel. In the time of Jesus there were Jews, but no identifiable country. Even then the "pure" Jews hated those of Samaria for their were dogs--mongrels--having been transported by Assyria and intermarrying with other groups.<br/> This shameful story of Israel should be a warning to all believers. Israel, God's chosen people, now have been taken away. Yes, God has a remnant, go on and read chapter 9. But take heed and as Gary G. Cohen has written, "Let every reader be sure that he is standing secure upon the ground of God's blessing, rather than upon the land of sin and rebellion, wherein only sorrow and grief abide. As in the case of Israel, there is fullness of blessing only when Jehovah is in truth your God." Yes, there is a time when God says "enough is enough."</div>
<div> D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2023-03-09:6284697:BlogPost:2273662023-03-09T12:40:15.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span>Echoes From the Campfire</span></p>
<p><span> “There's nothin' else you can do, 'cept stand yer ground and do what's right.”</span></p>
<div> --Michael D. Abbott (Colorado Wind)<br></br><br></br> "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly."</div>
<div> --Luke 21:34 (NKJV)<br></br>---------------------------------<br></br>There was a…</div>
<p><span>Echoes From the Campfire</span></p>
<p><span> “There's nothin' else you can do, 'cept stand yer ground and do what's right.”</span></p>
<div> --Michael D. Abbott (Colorado Wind)<br/><br/> "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly."</div>
<div> --Luke 21:34 (NKJV)<br/>---------------------------------<br/>There was a song that was very popular a few decades ago written by Gordon Jensen. The chorus is<br/><br/> "Signs of the times are everywhere<br/> There's a brand new feeling in the air<br/> Keep your eyes upon the eastern sky<br/> Lift up your head, redemption draweth nigh."<br/><br/>Have you heard that the Euphrates River drying up, and all the problems that it is already causing? I read this week that the source of the Thames River is dry and that the Yangtze River is drying up and that China had to cut off the power to 94 million people. Now, it isn't a total shutdown, but what will happen if the river continues to dry? Not only does it bring about the necessity of fresh water, but because of the shortage the water that is there is not fit to drink. <br/> Signs of the times...<br/> Look at a couple of the Trumpet Judgments in Revelation. Could this be an omen of things to come? Results of the First Trumpet: "And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up." (Revelation 8:7, NKJV). The Third Trumpet: "The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter." (Revelation 8:11, NKJV) From the riding of the Black Horse we know that there will be a scarcity on the earth of the staples of life.<br/> Signs of the times...<br/> Jesus says that "There will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven" (Luke 21:11, NKJV) Pestilence--we have just gone through what is being called a "pandemic" of the COVID virus. Thousands died, yet what is to come? Another virus, natural or man-made. I read just this morning that polio cases were reported and samples of the virus were found in wastewater. Polio? Wasn't it supposed to be eradicated? Plus, there is the monkeypox--something that is 99% among gay people.<br/> Signs of the times...<br/> Science has the answer, but science is always changing so how can the "answer" be trusted? We were to get vaccinated for the COVID, now there are saying that we should use common sense. Knowledge is ever increasing, ah, but what kind of knowledge. Daniel prophesied, "...Shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; any shall run to and from, and knowledge shall increase." (Daniel 12:4, NKJV) Think of that, the intelligencia tell us one thing, then another, and yet some more--"professing to be wise, they became fools... Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness...." (Romans 1:22, 24, NKJV)<br/> Signs of the times...<br/> We live in a time when immorality has become the morality of the culture. When evil is now called good by the cultural progressives. They are more enlightened, but actually they are declaring themselves fools and are mocking God's eternal moral values. "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!" (Isaiah 5:20-21, NKJV) Does that sound like the elite of this country today? Arrogance, haughtiness and they speak the lie with a smirk on their face.<br/> Signs of the times...<br/> I assume that you have heard the talk regarding digital money. It is on the agenda of President Biden and is very much a focal point of the United Nations. They are calling it "digital sustainability" and it goes beyond money. The idea is to have a "trustworthy internet" that is to be "consistent with our shared global values." Purchases will be "registered and assessed" according to how they benefit climate. In other words, the United Nations wants to control who purchases and what is purchased. No more cash, all will be digital. Now, think of this! You say something against the government, against the media, against the policies of such and what happens--your money is shut off. You can't get it from the bank even though you have it on deposit. Forget about the cash you have hidden under the mattress. "No one may buy or sell except one who has the mark of the name of the beast, or the number of his name" (Revelation 13:17, NKJV)<br/> Signs of the times...<br/> Ah, but you say this can't happen. This is America, and I'm free, and I have my rights. But are we subtly having our rights taken from us? Are we giving them away for what is called "progress"? When I taught I always had my students write a paper: Liberty or Security? As the years progressed Security became to dominate until by my last couple of years of teaching over 80% of the students believed that Security was more important than Liberty. "Peace and safety! then sudden destruction comes upon them..." (1 Thessalonians 5:3, NKJV)<br/> Signs of the times...<br/> Oh, you are so negative and pessimistic today, I hear you cry. No, just reality. This is the world in which we live, and this is just a smidgen of what is happening. It is really an exhortation of joy. We are told to "not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thessalonians 5:6, NKJV) The words of Jesus should make us look heavenward and with an expectant and hopeful heart. "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28, NKJV). I like the way the Amplified puts it, "Now when these things begin to occur, stand tall and lift up your heads [in joy], because [suffering ends as] your redemption is drawing near.”<br/> Stand tall, straighten up, and when you have done all to stand continue standing -- signs of the times.<br/> </div>
<div>D.C. Adkisson<br/> </div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2023-01-31:6284697:BlogPost:2263622023-01-31T21:44:57.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “Hard work...was not something to be feared.”</span><br></br><span> --Elmer Kelton (Llano River)</span><br></br><br></br><span> "Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear."</span></p>
<p> --Philippians 2:12 (NLT)<br></br>------------------------------------<br></br> "Life is…</p>
<p><span> “Hard work...was not something to be feared.”</span><br/><span> --Elmer Kelton (Llano River)</span><br/><br/><span> "Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear."</span></p>
<p> --Philippians 2:12 (NLT)<br/>------------------------------------<br/> "Life is living!" said the Rev. G.R. Kelly, my pastor as a youth. Living, but how? It's our choice how we live. We can live down in the mully-grubs, or we can have a victorious life in Christ. The choice is ours and that includes during the tough times.<br/> Many years ago I did a brief study on work. People seem to grumble and complain about their work more than anything, but if it is taken away or they are fired they grumble even more. Or that used to be the case until the progressive democrats (socialists) came on the scene. They want something for nothing, but that's not the way it is. This study came about from another study I was in the process of doing on the Fruit of the Spirit. One characteristic of the Fruit is Joy. We usually get joy confused with happiness though there can be a combination of the two at times. However, the purest form of natural joy is joy in work--a job well done. Of course the purest form of real joy is found in Jesus Christ.<br/><br/> "Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God."<br/> --Ecclesiastes 2:24 (NKJV)<br/><br/>The New Living Translation says, nothing is better than "to find satisfaction in his work." Listen friend, life is work. It is important, first of all to find the job where the Lord wants you, then second to enjoy your work. Yes, yes, there will be "those days," when your work is not satisfying and you may have a boss or coworker that grates on your nerves, but never forget who you are really working for. This lesson was brought home to me in 1974 when I was in the Air Force and stationed at the Air Force Academy. Out in the field one day I distinctly heard a voice--"Who are you working for? The Air Force, your boss, or Me?" It was a lesson I never forgot.<br/> We must always remember that the blessings and possessions and goods of life are a gift from God. Life, therefore, is a gift from God and we must look to Him to work out His purpose in us. In saying that, I will go further, our career, our job is a gift from God, make the best out of it for His glory. To despise the gifts, whether blessings or a job, is to despise the Giver.<br/> But man wants to go his own way. I want this, I want that. This is the job I want, but by Friday you're tired of it already. Oh, give me the weekend where I can party-hardy and come Monday I'm wasted and cannot go to the job that I was entrusted with. Eating, drinking, and working--all activities in life--can bring satisfaction only if one has a personal relationship with God. Only He enables us to find enjoyment in life. <br/><br/> "Isn't it strange that the more you run after life, panting after every pleasure, the less you will find, but the more you take life as a gift from God's hand, responding in thankful gratitude for the delight of the moment, the more life seems to come to you?"<br/> --Ray C. Stedman<br/><br/> Life in faith, even in your work. God gives wisdom, knowledge, joy, and peace to those who in faith please Him. We must understand that we are stewards and that the Master has placed us in certain positions, jobs if you will, to first glorify Him, then to learn the lessons of life. Enjoy the little things in life, but always in Christ. Enjoy your position in life for it is where God has placed you, then continue to prepare yourself for an opportunity. It is God alone--not things, not wisdom, not wealth--is the giver of satisfaction and joy.<br/> Charles Colson said, "Life isn't a book. Life isn't logical, or sensible, or orderly. Life is a mess most of the time. And theology must be lived in the midst of that mess." Wherever we are, whatever we do we are to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever!"</p>
<p>D.C. Adkisson</p>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2023-01-20:6284697:BlogPost:2256902023-01-20T22:20:41.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “Seems to me as though day-to-day events often have a tendency to simply lie in wait for our unknowing, blind arrival, ready to pounce on us like wild, stalking animals.”</span></p>
<div> --J. Lee Butts (Gun Works)<br></br><br></br> "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green,…</div>
<p><span> “Seems to me as though day-to-day events often have a tendency to simply lie in wait for our unknowing, blind arrival, ready to pounce on us like wild, stalking animals.”</span></p>
<div> --J. Lee Butts (Gun Works)<br/><br/> "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit."</div>
<div> --Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NKJV)<br/>-----------------------------------<br/>I've been gleaning through Ecclesiastes and sharing some of what I found. Today, I want to look at Ecclesiastes 3:9-11. Now hold on, Ecclesiastes is like the Book of Job, you've got to hang on when you read it. It speaks of life. In fact, to properly read Ecclesiastes you must read the whole book first then go back and dissect it. <br/><br/> 9 -- What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?<br/> 10 -- I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.<br/> 11 -- He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. (NKJV)<br/><br/>These few verses contain a wealth of information. Look at the first, What is the profit in life? What is the purpose in life? I will say it again, Life is living. But the question is living for what, living for whom? Life in itself is a mystery as we try to figure out what we are to be doing. I always refer to the Shorter Westminster Catechism, "Glorify God and enjoy Him forever," but in what way do we glorify Him? That is part of the mystery. We walk through this life with maybe a plan or a goal, but then something happens--then what? The plan is torn asunder, the goal is smashed. If we know how to glorify God in all circumstances we can overcome these adversities; if not bitterness, anger, hatred, and depression can appear.<br/> In life there is beauty to admire, there is work to do, and there is good in which to participate. Know this--"All life unfolds under the appointment of Providence." (Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.). God is in charge, He is in control. There is an eternal plan that He is working out. This is part of the mystery of life, understanding where each of us fit into that plan. God is not a manipulator, but He brings all things together to accomplish His plan.<br/> Paul writes, "We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose." (Romans 8:28, Amplified) Where are you in the plan? Can you accept a set-back knowing that God is with you and will eventually bring good out of it? Hard questions to answer, but we should be living such a life that we can completely trust God. I read the other day on a blog where a person was facing several tragedies and said that they were "angry at God." Did God bring the tragedy? No. Could God have stopped it? Yes, if it was in His eternal plan, but He might have something better in store.<br/> One thing I have never heard come up in a discussion with an evolutionist is their explanation of eternity. If evolution is true, then how does one explain life with God in heaven, will man then continue to evolve? We are made for God and to live with Him throughout eternity. Time will one day cease and then what happens to the evolutionist? When time ceases there will only be eternity.<br/> Don't be afraid of venturing through this life with God. He has blessings in every situation if we look hard enough. He has even more blessings for us in heaven. The journey may have obstacles that you do not like, nor expected to encounter, but remember God is leading and He knows. C.S. Lewis said, "Our Heavenly Father has provided many delightful inns for us along our journey, but He takes great care to see that we do not mistake any of them for home." Rest awhile at one of these "inns." But understand that in the morning the journey begins anew. God is with you, He is holding you. Think of this analogy. A little child in the arms of his father is unaware of many things that his father has learned.<br/> Let us delight in the labor that is before us for the journey will not always be easy. The task that the Lord has given us might take real effort. We cannot see into the future, but we can rest assured that God is already there and is with us TODAY, and will be with us tomorrow. Paul wrote this to the church at Corinth, "At present we are men looking at puzzling reflections in a mirror. The time will come when we shall see reality whole and face to face! At present all I know is a little fraction of the truth, but the time will come when I shall know it as fully as God now knows me!" (1 Corinthians 13:12, Phillips).</div>
<div>D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2023-01-09:6284697:BlogPost:2256692023-01-09T17:42:35.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “To live a long time is nothing, to live a long time wisely is something.”</span><br></br><span> --Louis L'Amour (The Californios)</span></p>
<div> "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near."<br></br> --Revelation 1:3 (NKJV)<br></br>-------------------------------------<br></br> "To everything there is a season, a TIME for…</div>
<p><span> “To live a long time is nothing, to live a long time wisely is something.”</span><br/><span> --Louis L'Amour (The Californios)</span></p>
<div> "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near."<br/> --Revelation 1:3 (NKJV)<br/>-------------------------------------<br/> "To everything there is a season, a TIME for every purpose under heaven."<br/> --Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)<br/><br/> Notice, I have capitalized "time" in the verse above. I have written many times regarding the subject of time, that substance we seem to never have enough of or are always running out of. Time, in a way, is sort of mystical. There was a beginning when God created and thus time started, and we are told that one day time will be no more. So I want to look at a few things, again, regarding time.<br/> Let me ask you a hypothetical question. What is the most valuable thing to you, and possibly on earth? Most will say family, or my spouse, or my children. Some may venture to say their health. I used to ask this question of my students when I taught Apologetics. Of course being in a Christian school they would mostly answer with something real spiritual: God, or Christ, or salvation. I would then counter--I think that it may be choice. Without God giving us choice, how could we be saved? Without choice, how could we choose Jesus Christ?<br/> However, let me say that this is only speculative--something for you to ponder--that it could be time. Time may be the most valuable thing that you possess. I say that even in regard to choice, it is time that dictates or provides the situation for you to make a choice. See there is "time for every purpose." <br/> I was reading last week and this thought struck me. There was a conversation similar to what we are speaking of now--time. A man said that the most important thing that he had was friendship. The man was countered with the question, "what is it that you do with friends?" To which he replied, "spend time." Hmmm. The same could be said of family. <br/> Perhaps you are one who thinks that wealth or money is the most important thing. What do you do with it? You spend time thinking of how to spend it, on what to spend it on, or some more conscientious may think of ways of how to save it and make more money. All of this takes time <br/> When you go to a funeral you remember the time you spent with the deceased. You remember the times you had with them. You remember what you did together at this or that time. Walter Kaiser says that it is important to take "each day as it comes, as a gift from God." There may be no tomorrow--that is time only hoped for. You have today, a certain amount of time.<br/> I really like what the old minister, Joseph Alleine wrote, "Let us live this one day well!" He goes on to say that we have been given a new day to the start of a new week, "let us spend this week for God." In other words, let us be going about the Lord's business--using our time for Him. That takes us to the second part of that verse, "There is a time for EVERY PURPOSE, under heaven." You are here to wisely use the time that God has given you. You are here to spend time working for the Kingdom, not to wantonly spend it on worldly pleasure and foolishness. This is one reason why we need to start the day with the Lord, to see what He has for us this day. To make a list, written or mental, of what we should try to accomplish throughout the day for we have a purpose, and we only have so much time to fulfill it. Remember that God has a plan that embraces every man and woman and all their actions at all times. <br/> The words of Paul in Ephesians is really a solemn, almost haunting word, "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the TIME, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16, NKJV) In other words, look at what you are doing with your time. We are to be good stewards of our time, it is even more important to us that money. It is time that we spend with family and friends. It is time that we must be about the Lord's work; time to be fulfilling our purpose.<br/> Jesus recognized the value of time when He walked this earth. He was bound by it, just as we are, and therefore, He must work within time. He made the statement, "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day [while there is time]; the night is coming when no one can work." (John 9:4, NKJV, words in brackets are my explanation.)<br/>What are the words of that song, "Yesterday's gone, and tomorrow may never be mine..." Therefore, today is ours--this particular time in history. There is no instant replay, you can't live over what time is lost. Time gone can never be repeated, that is why we are told to be conscious of what we are doing with our time. I would then ask, what are you doing with your time? What are you trading for your time?</div>
<div>D.C. Adkisson<br/> </div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2022-11-30:6284697:BlogPost:2251032022-11-30T22:58:22.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “The worst punishment God could inflict on the world would be to give people everything they wished for.”</span></p>
<div> --Elmer Kelton (Other Men's Horses)<br></br><br></br> "Yes, the LORD will give what is good; and our land will yield its increase."</div>
<div> --Psalm 85:12 (NKJV)<br></br>------------------------------------<br></br> There is a saying that money isn't everything, but it's way ahead of whatever is in second…</div>
<p><span> “The worst punishment God could inflict on the world would be to give people everything they wished for.”</span></p>
<div> --Elmer Kelton (Other Men's Horses)<br/><br/> "Yes, the LORD will give what is good; and our land will yield its increase."</div>
<div> --Psalm 85:12 (NKJV)<br/>------------------------------------<br/> There is a saying that money isn't everything, but it's way ahead of whatever is in second place. Now, first of all, that is a bold-face lie. The problem is that many people think that or strive to prove it true and in doing so lose all that is truly valuable. I knew of a man who made $50,000 a week. Wealthy? Maybe in the eyes of the world, but he lost his wife, and his children to drugs. <br/> Solomon wrote, "There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt." (Ecclesiastes 5:13, NKJV). What are those "severe evils"? Mention already is the loss of a family. But many of these men live in fear waiting for the next crash. Some, like Howard Hughes, become a recluse, others spend their money to bring more evil upon the land like Soros. We remember in this season the story of Ebenezer Scrooge who hoarded his wealth not caring about others until... Look at verses 16-17, "And this also is a severe evil--just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who labored for the wind? All his days he also eats in darkness, and he has much sorrow and sickness and anger." (NKJV)<br/> That is not to say that you should not enjoy the blessings of work. In fact, Solomon in the next verse states, "Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage." Labor and its fruits are a gift for man to enjoy. The dollar will not satisfy; therefore, we need to find pleasure in the simple things. Walter C. Kaiser wrote, "The man who has learned the secret of enjoyment as a gift from God will not become anxious over the length of his life. He has too much joy living to brood over the impermanence of his mortal being. Rather, each day is taken as it comes, as a gift from God."<br/> Moreover, blessings given to you are to be shared in one form or another. We need to invest in the vertical dimension of life and less in the horizontal. Where are your treasures stored up? The man to whom God has been generous is expected then to be generous. To whom much is given, much is expected. I like the words of John Wesley, "Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can." There needs to be more men like Wannamaker, LeTourneau, and Penny in this world who understood the value of living for the kingdom of God. True, there are great philanthropists in the world, but why do they give? Is it to ease conscience, or to meet the needs of others? How many give to organizations that have a truly Biblical worldview of giving and helping? Hmmm, think on that.<br/> God wants you to have the gift of contentment in your heart and this comes not from hoarding or in spending your life working for the American dream and dollar. My Mom had a saying, "have to go to work--have to make a dollar." Mom liked to make money, but I saw her in the last years of life living not joyously, but in regret. She never under-stood what true contentment was. Her idea was to make money, and sure she would give it away, share it, but she had the wrong motives. Man should enjoy life, not possessions. Think of this, man, including the wealthy man, must return to his Maker devoid of riches, not even having a cloak. Nevertheless, there still are men who will spend all their days in great sorrow and distressing labor for such an empty goal as this.<br/> In the Christmas season, learn the gift of giving, but with the right purpose. Don't give to get, don't give to manipulate, don't give because of guilt--but give out of a joyous heart and from the blessings of God. Remember, what is the value of giving if you have nothing at the end and there is no treasure in heaven. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." I might add--the important things.<br/> "If we focus more on the gifts than on the Giver, we are guilty of idolatry. If we accept His gifts, but complain about them, we are guilty of ingratitude. If we hoard His gifts and will not share them with others, we are guilty of indulgence. But if we yield to His will and use what He gives us for His glory, then we can enjoy life and be satisfied."<br/> --Warren W. Wiersbe<br/>D.C. Adkisson<br/> </div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2022-11-14:6284697:BlogPost:2230642022-11-14T21:40:20.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p style="text-align: left;"><span> “Survival is determined by the honed skills of the one cutting a trail.”</span></p>
<div> --Cliff Hudgins (Viejo and the Hunted Ranger)<br></br><br></br> "I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should bear before Him."</div>
<div> --Ecclesiastes 3:14 (NKJV)<br></br>--------------------------------<br></br>Charles Swindwoll, in his…</div>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span> “Survival is determined by the honed skills of the one cutting a trail.”</span></p>
<div> --Cliff Hudgins (Viejo and the Hunted Ranger)<br/><br/> "I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should bear before Him."</div>
<div> --Ecclesiastes 3:14 (NKJV)<br/>--------------------------------<br/>Charles Swindwoll, in his book, Living on the Ragged Edge, wrote, "In this ragged-edge reality called earthly existence, life is somewhere between sad and bad." Look at the world around you and what do you see? There is famine and drought, fires and floods--the ravages of nature. So many people are bored therefore they turn to gaming. Life is painful, full of headaches and heartaches. The media is filled with reports of murder, hate, rape, assault, arson, and add to that sickness, the virus, broken lives, and perhaps worst of all distorted minds.<br/> With all of that what does man do? He turns to fantasy. "To infinity and beyond!" "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." Go "where no man has gone before." And what is the purpose of all of this? To escape. To create a fantasy world so you can cope with the real world. To think of yourself in another world experience, one where there are not the same problems that you face day-in-and-day-out. Man is seeking a vertical life, but he lives in a horizontal one. Fantasize all you want, tomorrow will bring its own problems, but first you deal with those the day. Maybe you don't have any real problems but are tired of the same old routine that life affords. You are in a rut, and remember a rut is a grave with two ends removed. Swindoll states, "There is no hell on earth like horizontal living without God."<br/> God has made everything beautiful in its time. Not our time, but His. He has put eternity in our hearts, that is one reason man seeks a vertical life, but it is impossible...until that day in which we find ourselves in glory with God. What a minute, I can hear you--not everything is good, and you are correct. There is sickness, there is evil, there is the lack of moral restraint. But if you are a believer, you look at things with a different perspective or at least you should. Paul wrote to the Romans, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (8:28, NKJV)<br/> We have the ability to rejoice. To rejoice in the midst of life's situations. We can enjoy life and do not have to escape for we are living by grace in this world rejoicing in what God is doing. The Amplified Version of Philippians says this, "Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice!" (4:4) We have the ability, even in the midst of this insane and evil world to rejoice and do good because God is at work in our lives. Therefore, read Ecclesiastes 3:12-22 with a New Testament, Holy Spirit directed perspective. God performs things that cultivate respect for Him and repeats things until they are learned. <br/> Let me close with some instructions from the Methodist minister William Sangster. In one of his sermons he gave directions on how to live and accept life. First, never make conditions with God. He makes conditions with us. Second, God retains the right to say "No." Third, we are going to be unshaken in discipleship, whatever happens. That is that way to live, come what may, I will not be moved, I will not be shaken for I have a trust in the Almighty God. One more word from Sangster, in 1958, he was diagnosed with an incurable disease. When he learned of his diagnosis, he made four resolutions: "I will never complain. I will keep the home bright. I will count my blessings. I will try to turn it to gain."<br/> Learn to live this life, now in fear nor down in the mully-grubs, but in victory and rejoicing. "Faith is the victory . . . that overcomes the world." (John H. Yates)<br/> D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2022-10-14:6284697:BlogPost:2223142022-10-14T14:59:58.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “Here the news that forced him to think of himself as a man somehow related to and responsible to his kind. He had gone to and fro over the trails of the desert, and many adventures had befallen him. He had lived them, with the force the desert seemed to have taught him, and then had gone his way down the lonely trails, absorbed in his secret.”</span><br></br><span> --Zane Grey (Wanderer of the Wasteland)</span><br></br><br></br><span> "Who led you through that…</span></p>
<p><span> “Here the news that forced him to think of himself as a man somehow related to and responsible to his kind. He had gone to and fro over the trails of the desert, and many adventures had befallen him. He had lived them, with the force the desert seemed to have taught him, and then had gone his way down the lonely trails, absorbed in his secret.”</span><br/><span> --Zane Grey (Wanderer of the Wasteland)</span><br/><br/><span> "Who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock."</span></p>
<div> --Deuteronomy 8:15 (NKJV)<br/>--------------------------------------<br/> "Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness."<br/> --Mark 1:12 (NKJV)<br/><br/> We love to look at the wilderness. Maybe it is to have a grand view of splendor. Perhaps it is the rush of the awesomeness that it can relay to us. A few might look at a view of the wilderness to think about those who first saw it and ventured into its vast unknown. At times, some may venture into it for a day, or week but seldom to live in it. We love to see the view of the wilderness, but do not like the idea of leaving the comforts of civilization for long.<br/> Why does the wilderness intrigue us? Look out over the vista at the Grand Canyon. Wow! What else can be said. Or gaze in wonder at the snow-capped Rockies while you stand on top of Trail Ridge. But even there with the wilderness around you feel safe because you can easily get back in your vehicle, drive back down the road and be in civilization in no time. Look out over the salt bottom at Death Valley, or view the spires that stand in Bryce. Why are you there? To escape? To enjoy? To wonder? To see the hand of God in creation?<br/> Moses spent forty years learning how to live and survive in the wilderness so he could lead a stiff-necked, stubborn, murmuring people into it for another forty years. Imagine living forty years in the wilderness. It is hard for us to imagine that long, but this is what many of our ancestors did. They crossed the wide Missouri and went out into the unknown with trepidation and some fear seeking a new life, a new home, and most definitely a new way of life.<br/> Wilderness is an old English term that means "the place of wild beasts" (Brady). It is important to realize that these beasts are not necessarily common. The wild beasts that we associate with the opening of western America were wolves, grizzlies, and mountain lions. These beasts brought fear, but man had to learn how to cope and conquer. However, when speaking of the wilderness there is often a beast of which we are not aware of--a spiritual beast, a beast of the unknown. Fear, danger, lack of hope, despairing of faith are among those beasts.<br/> The mountain men who came to know the wilderness, to understand it, and to survive in it became the guides for those who were to follow. Moses was the same way, he lived in the wilderness and he was to lead the Israelites through the "great and terrible" elements of the wilderness (Dt. 1:19) John the Baptist was a man acquainted with the wilderness, and Jesus knew the wilderness well. It was in the wilderness that Jesus the man met with His nemesis and defeated him. When He returns from this wilderness He begins to collect His disciples. We know of the three major temptations He faced, but what of other challenges? The hunger, the thirst, the heat, the wild beasts, the struggle to take another step. Then there is the desire to quit. There are many bones that lay bleached in the wilderness of men who simply laid down and died giving up hope.<br/> We cannot begin to read the Bible without seeing the wilderness come up. It is an important experience of God's people, and it always has a purpose. In the wilderness the distractions of the city are vanquished. There is only the sound of the wind, or of a coyote, maybe even the howl of a wolf. The wilderness can be a place of mystery, and it impels us to seek for God and learn of Him. Where were Adam and Eve sent from the Garden? It had to be a wilderness of some sort. It most definitely was not the lush paradise of Eden. That was forever gone. They had to learn to live differently than they did in the Garden. They had to survive in the elements of nature.<br/> It is important to understand that a "wilderness" is not always a place out in the wilds. It may be in a person's mind. It may be the torture of living in an abused home, or the terror of the streets, or simply walking in a darkened path where fear abounds. Whatever the wilderness it should not speak fear, but it should show us that God is with us in the midst of any challenge just as He was with the Israelites and with the Lord Himself. The wilderness, if properly viewed, is a place where man can and should contemplate and have communion with the Holy Spirit regarding eternal values. Listen to the voice of the Spirit if He is driving you to that place where you can completely surrender to Him.</div>
<div> D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2022-08-15:6284697:BlogPost:2200452022-08-15T15:57:49.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “The desert or mountain man was forever lifting his eyes to the peaks or to the stars; it was no wonder that men of the wilderness knew so much about the flight of birds and the habits of animals. In cities a man's eyes were on the ground, or rarely above eye level.”</span></p>
<div> --Louis L'Amour (Kid Rodelo)<br></br><br></br> "For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore for Your name's sake, lead me and guide me."<br></br> --Psalm…</div>
<p><span> “The desert or mountain man was forever lifting his eyes to the peaks or to the stars; it was no wonder that men of the wilderness knew so much about the flight of birds and the habits of animals. In cities a man's eyes were on the ground, or rarely above eye level.”</span></p>
<div> --Louis L'Amour (Kid Rodelo)<br/><br/> "For You are my rock and my fortress; therefore for Your name's sake, lead me and guide me."<br/> --Psalm 31:3 (NKJV)<br/>-----------------------------------------<br/>We live in a world that encourages us to go faster, faster, faster. Seek more thrills, get to the top without working your way up, no matter how, just get there. Go higher, go longer, go faster. Whew, I'm starting to sweat just thinking of the effort. Get a faster drive, you need to get on the internet quicker. Hasten your pace, you're going too slow. Go, go, go, and if we're not careful even as Christians we can get in the proverbial rat-race around us.<br/> Barbara Kingsolver said that we "need to be able to taste grace and know once again that we desire it." Ponder that for I think we often forget grace. Oh, we remember it when we're in a bind. But we don't take the time to "taste" it. We get so busy with life that we forget to rest. Few will get eight hours of sleep, and fewer yet will have a good night's sleep. Their body may be supine but their mind is still racing as they go to bed. Sometimes it is planning for tomorrow, or worrying about their bank account or lack of it.<br/> There is so much to do that we don't think of God's grace unless someone reminds us, or perhaps we're in a church service instead of watching the kids play ball. Go here, go there, and we either take the kids with us or we go because of them. What are we teaching children if on Monday they have basketball, on Tuesday gymnastics, on Wednesday instead of church it is tumbling, Thursday might be a night to recover, but no, there's a party, and Friday, my land, Friday is game night. On top of it all there is practice after school and in the morning before school there is band practice. Whew, a youngster can't rest, and when they do they head straight for their phone or the game room.<br/> Have you ever sat watching the sunrise with all of its different hues? Now I don't expect the kids to get up to see it, but they can look out over the lake in the evening and watch it set. The Holy Spirit is a masterful painter. His artwork is never the same and is amazing how He moves and mixes the colors. How about on the plains, looking at the wind blowing the wheatfields as if they were waves of the sea and in the distance you can see a storm brewing, smell the coming rain, and even see it falling miles from where you are standing.<br/> "Wilderness puts us in our place. It reminds us that our plans are small and somewhat absurd. It reminds us why, in those cases in which our plans might influence many future generations, we ought to choose carefully." (Barbara Kingsolver) Rush around all the time, and your children will do the same a generation later. Refuse to meditate on God's Word and contemplate it because you do not have the time, a generation later people will question the foundational truths of God's Word.<br/> But I don't have time to go to the wilderness or view the grandeurs of God's wondrous creation. I'm not saying that you have to go, but you can gaze at a landscape or observe the delicacy of a beautiful flower. Look at it. Amazing, the creative hand of God! Truly it is better to actually be out in the wild, but I understand, due to our craziness and the place in which we have placed ourselves we can't always get away. But we can view, observe, hope and wish, long for, and take time to view, if not first-hand, the through pictures creation.<br/> Remember, God sent Moses into the wilderness for forty years to learn about it. Jesus, right after He was baptized, was driven into the wilderness. Paul spent three years in the wilderness learning to see a clearer and more indepth picture of God. It is vital to our soul that we seek time in the "wilderness" to commune with God. When you go, take a notebook and your Bible and ponder waiting and listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit. Jesus often went to the wilderness to be by Himself, no that is not right, to be with His Father. He took time, "On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea." (Matthew 13:1, NKJV)<br/> This is one reason that I title my morning devotions, "Echoes From the Campfire." Look at the flames, how they flicker, how they reach for oxygen. Remember, times of past campfires, or if you're not a camper a special occasion with the family. Was God speaking to you then? Did you hear His voice, or miss it? How about now, as you see the mystical flames of the campfire, what are they echoing? As I have said many times, "Life is living," not rushing to and from searching for this and that and worrying about the next paycheck or how you're going to pay for gas, and what if the shelves are empty, and what about the next pandemic. Relax, rest in the Lord for He cares for you.</div>
<div> D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2022-07-28:6284697:BlogPost:2193382022-07-28T11:08:30.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “I love to see some of the gnarled old trees; cedars and bristle-cone pines are favorites of mine, for so often they live where it doesn't seem possible to live. They grow right out of rocks, gnarled and twisted and old . . . but strong, stronger than anything but time, and they are part of time.”</span></p>
<div> --Louis L'Amour (Under the Sweetwater Rim)<br></br><br></br> "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit…</div>
<p><span> “I love to see some of the gnarled old trees; cedars and bristle-cone pines are favorites of mine, for so often they live where it doesn't seem possible to live. They grow right out of rocks, gnarled and twisted and old . . . but strong, stronger than anything but time, and they are part of time.”</span></p>
<div> --Louis L'Amour (Under the Sweetwater Rim)<br/><br/> "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."</div>
<div> --Psalm 1:3 (NKJV)<br/>------------------------------------<br/>The story of two trees...<br/> The first tree was in a lush environment surrounded by varied forms of shrubs, trees, and grasses, all fine to look at and admire. However, to walk in this wondrous garden that was teeming with beauty, eyes would constantly go to the trees in the middle of the garden. Of all the trees there was one that invited closer examination. The foliage of this tree was full and of vibrant green. It may have had beautiful and fragrant blooms similar to a magnolia tree, but it also carried the most delicious and tantalizing fruit.<br/> The fruit of one tree, the one called the tree of knowledge of good and evil, seemed to not only offer a delectable flavor, but it seemed that there was something there that offered something to the soul as well. The longer and more often a person looked, the more it seemed to draw them, until one day--that fateful day when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. God has said, "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17, NKJV) Man ate--the earth was cursed as was man. Part of the curse was death. To look upon this tree there seemed to be the promise of a tasty fruit, but to eat of it brought the curse of death.<br/> The second tree is quite different. Whereas the first tree ended with a curse, the second tree begins with one. “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:23, Deuteronomy 21:22-23). A body could not be left overnight if a tree was used as an instrument of execution. This leads to us looking at the second tree more closely. The environment in which it was found was a rugged, rocky area. This tree was rough and therefore full of splinters. It was not a pleasant sight to look at. It was a means of torture and ultimately death. "And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of the Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha" (John 19:17, NKJV). <br/> This second tree was unseemly. It was rough and it represented death. It did not look luscious like the tree in the Garden, but to look at this tree--this cross--would bring terror and cause the soul to shudder at its viciousness. This tree, and instrument of death, was meant to take lives, but instead when the Son of God was crucified it removed the curse of the first tree. Amazing, isn't it? Luscious equaled death--death meant the curse was removed and now eternal life could be offered to all men.<br/> Which tree do you find yourself longing for? Which tree gathers your attention? Which tree do you gaze at? One offered life but brought death. The other upon which Jesus was crucified offered death but brought life.<br/><br/> "Oh, that old rugged cross so despised by the world,<br/> Has a wondrous attraction for me;<br/> For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above,<br/> To bear it to dark Calvary.<br/><br/> In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,<br/> A wondrous beauty I see;<br/> For 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,<br/> To pardon and sanctify me."<br/> --George Bennard<br/><br/>D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2022-07-22:6284697:BlogPost:2193222022-07-22T18:13:32.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “The lesson of faith is not what turbulence you face but how you wind up on the other side.”</span></p>
<p><span> -</span>-Cliff Hudgins (Grandpa's Legacy)<br></br><br></br> "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him...."</p>
<div> --Job 13:14 (NKJV)<br></br>-----------------------------------<br></br>I was doing some reading this week and a thought struck my mind. How many idols are there in our homes? Most would probably say "none." We…</div>
<p><span> “The lesson of faith is not what turbulence you face but how you wind up on the other side.”</span></p>
<p><span> -</span>-Cliff Hudgins (Grandpa's Legacy)<br/><br/> "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him...."</p>
<div> --Job 13:14 (NKJV)<br/>-----------------------------------<br/>I was doing some reading this week and a thought struck my mind. How many idols are there in our homes? Most would probably say "none." We are more enlightened, we know that there are no gods depicted by wood or stone, but wait a minute my friend. What actually is an idol. First let me draw your attention to Proverbs 25:14, "Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give." (NIV)<br/> Okay, I can hear you. What does this have to do with idols? This is speaking about clouds, rain, gifts, and not giving, what does that have to do with idols? Let me give you a simple definition of an idol used by Bob Beasley, "[An idol] is someone or something which boasts of gifts that he or it does not give." An idol, a false god promises to give gifts which there is no way that it can fulfill. People flock to false promises--they are idols for the promise cannot be fulfilled. Idols then are deceptions.<br/> Idols are those things in which you put your trust over God. Many people put their trust in wealth, a bank account, or the stock market. There is a false promise there. Sure there is nothing wrong with money, but our trust is not in money, but in God. Others put their trust in the government and the leaders of that government. Governments change, governments fall, and the people there, well, they'll promise you everything, but will not fulfill that promise--an idol. Sports figures, entertainers can become idols if a person's heart is continually dwelling on those individuals. In other words, an idol is something which controls your heart. Jesus warned, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21, NKJV)<br/> Beasley writes, "We are idolators because of the sin that is in our hearts. Given the chance, we often run to the first promise that looks good, forsaking the promises of God. And when we place our hope in anything over and above the promises and providence of God, we are into idolatry." Where do you run in times of trouble? Where do you go when there is a storm on the horizon? What is it you seek to help satisfy your longings? Perhaps we turn to idols.<br/> There are four terms used for idols in Scripture. 1) terapim--symbolizes a god, or a divine presence. They were often kept in households. 2) gillulim--this term appears 39 times in Ezekiel. It is a disdainful term originally meaning "dung pellets." 3) 'elil--this is the word for a false god; it can mean "naught" or "vain." 4) eisolon--this is a New Testament term used to depict a false god. The term means "an idea, fancy." (Vine's Expository) Look at the idols of today--into which category do you see them?<br/> Paul refers to idols as "vain things." It was something that was a phantom, something that could not bring about its promise. Peter and Jude refer to false prophets "as clouds without rain. I like what Jeremiah called idols, "scarecrows." They cannot speak, they must be carried to the place where they are to stand, and they are to do something that they cannot do. (Jeremiah 10:5) So I ask again, where is your trust? Is it in idols, man-made ideas or creations, or is it in the word of God? Do you turn to God or a person or a bank account in times of trouble? Where is your heart?</div>
<div> D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2022-06-30:6284697:BlogPost:2185912022-06-30T19:48:13.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p> "I think that God allows things to happen because of our stupidity, then we have to pay the cost, or someone does." --D.C. Adkisson (Redemption)</p>
<p> "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving." --Colossians 4:2 (NKJV)</p>
<p> One thing for sure you need to survive in this wicked world is prayer. Prayer keeps the communication line open with God. There are many books on how to pray, a method of prayer, etc. The thing that must be…</p>
<p> "I think that God allows things to happen because of our stupidity, then we have to pay the cost, or someone does." --D.C. Adkisson (Redemption)</p>
<p> "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving." --Colossians 4:2 (NKJV)</p>
<p> One thing for sure you need to survive in this wicked world is prayer. Prayer keeps the communication line open with God. There are many books on how to pray, a method of prayer, etc. The thing that must be done is to pray. James Moffat said that, "Prayer is love in need appealing to love in power." We are most surely a needy people in many, many ways, and God is the power. In fact, that is one of His names for Jesus is sitting on the "right hand of Power."</p>
<p> Matthew Henry wrote that, "Prayer is the nurse of faith." We stay strong in the faith through God's Word and through communication with Him. Part of our communication with Him is His Word. We must realize and understand that. We know Him by His Word. Also because of His Word we know how to pray, and I don't just mean the Lord's Prayer. We must pray according to His will which we find in the Word. The better we know the Bible, the better we can pray, and we must pray to get through this life.</p>
<p> We must communicate with God to get through this wicked world. When things are lurking ready to pounce on you, when obstacles arise in your path that you were not expecting, when things don't go as planned, when there seems to be no understanding we must go to the Lord in prayer. Paul, Peter, John, and Jude all speak about false teachers and prophets. We need to know the Word of God to recognize who these are. Contemplate on the words of Jude, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit" (vs 20, NKJV). Notice, we build ourselves up. We build on our faith, but we do it. Works? Of course it is, it is faith that is alive and active. It is growing in grace. Now the question is how hard do we want to work. There are sluggards in the world, you have worked with some of them, but remember, there are also believers that are spiritual sluggards as well. They have a "ho-hum" type of Christianity.</p>
<p> So how do we pray? How do we keep the messages flowing back and forth from heaven and the throne? First, test everything that comes your way by the will of God, therefore you must get into the Bible to know the will of God and take everything that comes your way to God for His approval. Second, we are insufficient and weak, we must take that insufficiency to the God of sufficiency. He is the One who takes care of our need. Third, we are admonished to pray in the Spirit so that our prayers are right. I remember a preacher one time asking his aunt why she moaned so much when she prayed. She told him that one day he'll get to the place where his prayers are filled with moans. The Holy Spirit can interpret those moans. And fourth, we must know the Word of God to pray properly.</p>
<p> "Pray, no matter how bad the chances,/Pray, whenever the foe advances,/Pray whatever the circumstances,/God has got to come through." --Ralph Carmichael</p>
<p>D.C. Adkisson</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2022-06-24:6284697:BlogPost:2182962022-06-24T15:16:18.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “Life cannot simply be about happiness. It must also be about honor and obligation.”</span></p>
<div> --D.W. Ulsterman (The Irish Cowboy)</div>
<div> "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is."<br></br> --Romans 12:2…</div>
<p><span> “Life cannot simply be about happiness. It must also be about honor and obligation.”</span></p>
<div> --D.W. Ulsterman (The Irish Cowboy)</div>
<div> "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is."<br/> --Romans 12:2 (NLT)<br/>--------------------------------<br/>I am bothered by the fact that too often we come to church less solemn than we should. By solemn, I mean seriousness of purpose. When we do that we make God weary. Look at Malachi 1:8, "And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably? says the LORD of hosts." (NKJV) He continues on in verse 10, "...I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts. Nor will I accept an offering from your hands." (NKJV)<br/> I can hear some of you now, "Oh, but that was Old Testament," or "that is legalism." No, it's the Word of the Lord. God expects us to give our best. And don't think it's only Old Testament. There was trouble in the Corinthian church when they made light of the Lord's Supper. They were taking it lightly, not respecting the purpose and the symbolism behind it and Paul wrote much of chapters 8, 10-11 regarding proper respect regarding the Lord's Supper and proper habits. He goes on to say that because of the way some treat the sacrament of the communion unworthily. Remember, Paul is writing to believers in the church at Corinth. "So if anyone eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily, that person is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking from the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup unworthily, not honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God's judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died." (11:27-30, NLT)<br/> Malachi warns about bringing blemished sacrifices to the altar. There was a proper sacrifice that was laid out by God in Leviticus. The lamb/sacrifice was to be without spot, without blemish. It was to be a "perfect" sacrifice. They not only brought unworthy sacrifices, they actually expected God to bless them for it. Here they hold the worship of God in contempt and they expect blessing. <br/> Paul writes that we are to be "living sacrifices. "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?" (NLT) What does that mean? "It means that when we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, we choose to obey him over our own will and desires. We no longer seek to fill our lives with earthly pleasures. Instead, we seek to serve God in all that we do." (NLT notes) I like what one of the early church fathers, John Chrysostom wrote,<br/><br/> "How can the body become a sacrifice? If you don't let your eye look at anything evil, it has become a sacrifice. Don't let your tongue say anything filthy, and it has become an offering. By not letting your hand do anything lawless, it has become a burnt offering.... For a sacrifice can't be unclean. Sacrifice is a first-fruit of all other actions. So then, let us give the first-fruit of our hands, feet, mouth, and all other parts to God. Such a sacrifice is well pleasing."<br/><br/> No, the pure, holy sacrifice is what is pleasing to God. One with spots will not be accepted. One that is given half-heartedly will not be accepted. One that has blemish will not be accepted. Oh, my, is there any hope? The problem is that we have forgotten the doctrine of sanctification. We have turned sanctification into the despicable term of legalism. Legalism is what adds to your salvation, sanctification is what comes out of your salvation and continues until we meet the Lord. It is growing in grace, not sinning and asking forgiveness over and over, but growing in grace is the lifestyle that is practiced so that sin is not part of our life.<br/> Part of our problem, and I say part, is that we don't prepare ourselves to meet with the Lord. We don't "wash up" before going to the "supper table." There is a time for repentance (every day in fact), a time when the Holy Spirit removes the daily stain so that we can have full fellowship with the Lord. Therefore, there should be seriousness of purpose when we go to meet with the Lord, when we partake of the Lord's communion. Don't offer yourself as a second-rate sacrifice.<br/> D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2022-06-02:6284697:BlogPost:2174852022-06-02T16:57:16.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “It's up to the individual to do the best he or she can with what's available.”</span></p>
<div> --Mel Odom (Matamoros Bull)<br></br><br></br> "'Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then sacrifices a defective one to the Lord. For I am a great king,' says the LORD Almighty, 'and my name is feared among the nations!'"</div>
<div> --Malachi 1:14 (NLT)<br></br>-------------------------------<br></br>Perhaps it is time…</div>
<p><span> “It's up to the individual to do the best he or she can with what's available.”</span></p>
<div> --Mel Odom (Matamoros Bull)<br/><br/> "'Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then sacrifices a defective one to the Lord. For I am a great king,' says the LORD Almighty, 'and my name is feared among the nations!'"</div>
<div> --Malachi 1:14 (NLT)<br/>-------------------------------<br/>Perhaps it is time for this to happen--the doors of the church should be nailed shut. What?!! I'm just reading a New Testament version of Malachi 1:10.<br/><br/> "I wish one of you would shut the temple doors, so you would no longer kindle a useless fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you," says the LORD of Hosts, "and I will accept no offering from your hands."<br/> --Malachi 1:10 (HCSB)<br/><br/>The priests were teaching and accepting second-rate worship. The people began a ho-hum type of worship, or a false worship doing only what they felt like, there was no whole-hearted worship among the people. <br/> First of all, the people were allowed to bring less than their best to the altar for sacrifice. Blemished, crippled, maimed lambs were acceptable. My isn't that seen in our churches today. Come as you are, don't worry you're only meeting and sacrificing to the King of Kings. It doesn't matter how you do it. This goes along with the concept that only the music is worship when in fact, the whole service should be seen as worship. Sure the singing, but also the preaching, the fellowship, and even the offering. There is much truth to what Warren Wiersbe says, "Our offering to God are an indication of what's in our hearts." And let me interpret offerings of being more than money, but also our presence. time, and attention.<br/><br/> "Worship, properly conducted, is an expression of lives in the knowledge of God in relationship with God. Worship is ordered into particular forms so that this<br/>knowledge of God may be given full and rich expression in the lives of the people."<br/> --Peter C. Craigie<br/><br/> "You do not honor the Lord by second-rate worship! You do not honor the Lord by fitting Him into your schedule. And you do not honor the Lord by confessing<br/>to live sacrificially before Him when in fact there is no sacrifice whatsoever."<br/> --D. Stuart Briscoe<br/><br/>Wow, the words of God to the prophet Malachi should be read and taken to heart in this hour in which we live. Do we really worship in spirit and in truth? Do we present our bodies as a living sacrifice and let me add, are they blemished? If so, then go back to the cross and get them washed by the blood of the Lamb. The Lord says try and offer an unworthy sacrifice or give an unworthy gift to the governor and see what will happen (Malachi 1:8)<br/> Not only were these people offering sacrifices that we contemptible and the prophet says that because of that they were holding the worship of Almighty God in contempt. A contemptible offering shows that they think the whole thing of worshiping God is contemptible. These people were weary in their worship, they didn't even want to come to the place of worship, much less get involved in true worship.<br/> Maybe even worse, the audacity of the people was apparent. They actually believed that they deserved God's blessing and expected it when they held the worship of God in contempt or apathy. Excuses were made, rationalization was made. They believed that the Lord accepts them just as they are. Now that is true in the sense of salvation, but once saved we are to work out our salvation, we are to grow in grace. We no longer come to Him as strangers, but now as children, and therefore we owe our Father due respect. Matthew Henry wrote, "Corrupt practices are the fruit of corrupt principles; and he who is false to his God, will not be true to his fellow mortals." <br/> God expects our best--in fact, part of true worship is giving our best in everything we do as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:17, 23). We are not to be satisfied with "good enough." Our worship, in whatever form, should never be just "good enough." It should be to the best of our ability. "A God who encourages us to do less than our best is a God who isn't worthy of worship" (Warren W. Wiersbe). So examine your worship. Look at your temple (your are the temple of the Holy Spirit) and do some cleaning if needed. Truly one of the best ways to worship is with our lives. How we deal with difficulties, problems, obstacles show our relationship with the Lord. Is it one of defeat, bitterness, or hatred, or one of praise to the Lord who is able to keep us?</div>
<div> D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2022-05-15:6284697:BlogPost:2175332022-05-15T20:49:47.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “There are moments in a person's life when hopelessness comes like the fading sunlight on a cold winter's day.”</span></p>
<div> --Kenneth S. Pratt (Dragon's Fire)<br></br><br></br> "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."</div>
<div> --John 10:10 (NKJV)<br></br>----------------------------------<br></br>There is so much to write about…</div>
<p><span> “There are moments in a person's life when hopelessness comes like the fading sunlight on a cold winter's day.”</span></p>
<div> --Kenneth S. Pratt (Dragon's Fire)<br/><br/> "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."</div>
<div> --John 10:10 (NKJV)<br/>----------------------------------<br/>There is so much to write about life. I have spent much time in my Echoes regarding life, the journey of life, and the legacy of life. What is life? Is it something to be gone through with drudgery--here today gone tomorrow? We should not spend our life in apathy or cynicism. I remember one quotation by my childhood pastor, G.R. Kelly, "Life is to be lived."<br/> Thoreau said that, "Most men live lives of quiet desperation." This may be truer than it seems in the light of the world's condition. People who fear live in desperation. They are afraid to live their lives. Carl Sandbug was more of a cynic, he said, "Life is an onion--you peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep." <br/> Let me say again, "Life is for living!" Do not become the man of whom H.L. Menchem speaks about, "The basic fact about human experience is not that it is a tragedy, but that it is a bore. It is not that it is predominately painful, but that it is lacking in any sense." These three, and their thoughts--Thoreau, Sandburg, Menchem--I pity folks like them. Woe, to me, everybody is against me, or I'm so bored. How can someone be bored with life? God gave us life and He wants us to have and live it abundantly. Paul writes, "Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance." (Romans 5:3, Amplified)<br/> What hope is there? Solomon said, "'Vanity of vanities,' says the Preacher; 'Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.'" (Ecclesiastes 1:2, NKJV) What a mournful, dreadful view of life. Why did he say this? When a man seeks the things of this world he is never satisfied. He wants more, then comes to the end of his life realizing that all is vanity. What a terrible waste of life. "Vanity alludes us to the uselessness and emptiness of life which is not lived in fellowship with God, and in accord with the divine will," said one wise individual. May lives with the illusion of gaining but finds it is all hopeless. All is hopeless without Christ. Life apart from Jesus Christ has no meaning and cannot produce true happiness and certainly not the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit.<br/> Man searches in all the wrong places. Some of the saddest things of human life are the errors which divert men from their true aim, and plunge them into various and growing misery. Seek Him while He is to be found--that is the place that needs to be searched. Seek the Lord, look to Him, and He will satisfy the soul. Verse 3 says, "What profit has mann left from all his toil at which he toils under the sun? [Is life worth living?]" (1:3, Amplified) <br/> I would answer Solomon: Yes! It is worth living but only when we recognize Christ. The words of G. Campbell Morgan come to my mind, "This man has been living through all these experiences [read Ecclesiastes] under the sun, concerning with nothing above the sun...until there came a moment in which he had seen the whole of life. And there was something over the sun. It is only as a man takes account of that which is over the sun as well as that which is under the sun that things under the sun are seen in their true light."<br/> If you are bored with life try Jesus. If there is sorrow, suffering, and pain, go to Jesus, He will be there with you through it. If you are searching, find Jesus. What a man does in this life in regard to eternity is what really counts. What a man does with the person of Jesus Christ makes life either worth living or vanity (hopeless).</div>
<div> D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2022-05-07:6284697:BlogPost:2168152022-05-07T16:39:49.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “The way to succeed in life was just to keep trying...and to keep faith.”</span><br></br><span> --Louis L'Amour (Down the Long Hills)</span><br></br><br></br><span> "Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance."</span></p>
<div> --Romans 5:3…</div>
<p><span> “The way to succeed in life was just to keep trying...and to keep faith.”</span><br/><span> --Louis L'Amour (Down the Long Hills)</span><br/><br/><span> "Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance."</span></p>
<div> --Romans 5:3 (Amplified)<br/>------------------------------------<br/> "Sunrise, sunset, swiftly fly the years.<br/> One season following another,<br/> Laden with happiness and tears."<br/> --Jerry Bock<br/><br/>People talk so much about inequality. Racism causes inequality; wealth causes inequality, education causes inequality, environment causes inequality and on I could go. However, there is one thing--everyone is equal in regard to time. With time all mankind is equal. Man has so many days and then life is over. Everyone has the same amount of time--86,400 seconds.<br/> What is time? Simply stated, the definition of time is "a stretch of duration in which things happen." We are given so much time on this earth by the Lord. What we do with it is all important. God has a plan that embraces every human and all their actions in all times. Issac Watts wrote, "Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away."<br/> One thing that we simply don't remember, or care to look at, or take for granted is that time is rare! Read that again--Time is rare! "I want to see that again," no, it doesn't happen in time, there is no instant replay. Time is completely irretrievable. You can never repeat it or live it again. The philosopher Willian James said, "The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it." What are you doing in time that will outlast you? As a Christian, what are you doing in time that will last through eternity?<br/> Another thing that all mankind has in common in regard to time is that time is temporary. It is a speck in the scope of eternity. Each day should be deemed as important. Each day should be looked at as an opportunity. Each day should be seen through the lens of eternity.<br/><br/> "The man who has learned the secret of enjoyment as a gift from God will not become anxious over the length of his life. He has too much joy living to brook over the impermanence of his mortal being. Rather each day is taken as it comes, as a gift from God."<br/> --Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.<br/><br/> We should be conscious of time; how we spend it, how we waste it. There is only so much time allotted to each of us so we should be using it to build the kingdom of God rather than the kingdom of self. We should practice the appropriate actions at the proper time. What is it that God would have us to do? <br/> <br/> "Your eyes beheld my substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed."<br/> --Psalm 139:16 (NRSV)</div>
<div>D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2022-04-15:6284697:BlogPost:2162752022-04-15T19:48:18.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> "That's where the hope comes in, after death." --D.C. Adkisson (Mal de Ojo)</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p align="left"> "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." --Romans 5:5 (NKJV)</p>
<p align="left">-------------------------------</p>
<p> "Love so amazing, so divine..." (Isaac Watts) These words must be spoken about the cross. Without the work on the cross the resurrection…</p>
<p><span> "That's where the hope comes in, after death." --D.C. Adkisson (Mal de Ojo)</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p align="left"> "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." --Romans 5:5 (NKJV)</p>
<p align="left">-------------------------------</p>
<p> "Love so amazing, so divine..." (Isaac Watts) These words must be spoken about the cross. Without the work on the cross the resurrection would not mean anything. There would not be an atonement, a substitute, redemption, reconciliation, propitiation, and pardon without the cross. On the other hand, without the resurrection there would be no grace or mercy. Jesus would be like any other ordinary man. Please do not take the resurrection without the cross.<br/><br/> So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, <b>'It is finished!'</b> And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit."</p>
<div> --John 19:30 (NKJV)</div>
<div> What was finished? Those final words of Jesus must have meaning. Was He saying that his life was now over? Perhaps He was saying that His purpose had been fulfilled and He now could die. Or was it more than that? <b>"It is finished!"</b> Salvation has been made complete. The wrath and justice of God has been appeased, now man has the opportunity to find fellowship with the Father. Eternal life is now afforded to man. </div>
<div> There was an old song, "The Angels Up in Heaven Must Have Cried," but did they? The battle had been raging for centuries, ever since the Fall. Man was under God's curse; there must be a perfect sacrifice to meet the holy, just demands of God. Jesus came, as a man, to fulfill that obligation of the sacrifice, where sin was placed upon Him once and for all. We cannot even begin to imagine what the Father saw when He looked down upon His Son. It was something so repulsive that He had to turn His back. The vomit of sin drenched Jesus inside and out, but "<b>It is finished!"</b></div>
<div> There have been many speculations and theological discussions about what happened from the moment of death until the resurrection morning. Did Satan and his minions celebrate and cheer? I'm not so sure, for when I read in the Gospels when demons were confronted by Jesus they seemed to know that there was a coming time of their demise. Darkness occurred on earth, but what was happening in the spiritual realm? We can only ponder and let our imaginations run. I personally believe that Jesus freed the believers, the righteous that were in Hades, and that they went to be with Him in heaven. When a believer dies after the resurrection they no longer go to Hades, but immediately they go to the presence of the Lord.</div>
<div> I like what G. Campbell Morgan says about the time of "darkness." That time after Jesus' declaration, what took place in those dark hours? Morgan puts it this way:</div>
<div> "In the deep darkness, and in the midst of the silence, He triumphed over the forces of evil, the principalities and powers, and made a show of them openly by the cross, putting off from Himself all that assaulted Him in, and by, and through the darkness."</div>
<div>We really have no idea of what took place in the darkness. Whatever happened, whatever sin and chains that Satan may have thrown upon Jesus were totally broken when on that third day He burst forth from the tomb triumphantly. There was never a doubt about the resurrection, He knew that He would rise again.</div>
<div> "And you being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it."</div>
<div> --Colossians 2:13-15 (NKJV)</div>
<div> "Love so amazing...", "Amazing Grace..." we accept, but we cannot understand, that's why the term "amazing." The marvelous grace of Jesus that took place on the cross and culminated with the resurrection. Never let the amazement depart.</div>
<div>D. C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2022-03-11:6284697:BlogPost:2162222022-03-11T19:24:11.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> </span><span>“Evil always smiles when it thinks it's won.”</span></p>
<div> --D.C. Adkisson (Redemption) </div>
<div> <br></br> "That no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this."</div>
<div> --1 Thessalonians 3:3 (NKJV)<br></br>-------------------------------<br></br>It is interesting how God works in our lives. We don't know how He is exactly going to do something, our job is to…</div>
<p><span> </span><span>“Evil always smiles when it thinks it's won.”</span></p>
<div> --D.C. Adkisson (Redemption) </div>
<div> <br/> "That no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this."</div>
<div> --1 Thessalonians 3:3 (NKJV)<br/>-------------------------------<br/>It is interesting how God works in our lives. We don't know how He is exactly going to do something, our job is to place ourselves in His hands. There are so many ways He works for our benefit and one of those we hate--affliction. Now, I am not saying that all affliction is sent by God, in fact, most of it is not. Most comes from our stupid mistakes or the devil, but God does use affliction to get us back on track. The Psalmist brings this out:<br/><br/> "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. You are good, and do good; teach me Your statutes."<br/> --Psalm 119:67-68 (NKJV)<br/><br/> Our purpose is to submit to the Lord, but there are times that we stray. Some versions translate the term "astray" to "wander." Sometimes we wander and when we do there are times we wander into the wrong places, we let the wrong thoughts flit through our minds and stop to let them entertain us. God had to afflict the writer of this Psalm to get his attention<br/> In the past two years most families have experienced an affliction. What did you do when the "virus" came upon you? How did you react? The virus most definitely was not of God, however, it should have wakened us to focus more on Him. Look at the life of Joseph, what the devil meant for evil and to destroy Joseph, God used for good and to deliver Abraham from the famine in Egypt. Don't quickly dismiss all affliction as the devil's handiwork. Look for what God is doing in the midst of it.<br/> In my reading this week I came across a piece by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a man well acquainted with affliction:<br/><br/> "I believe that God can and will bring good out of evil, even out of the greatest evil. For that purpose he needs men who make the best use of everything. I believe that God will give us all the strength we need to help us resist in all time of distress. But he never gives it in advance, lest we should rely on ourselves and not on him alone. A faith such as this should allay all our fears for the future. I believe that even our mistakes and shortcomings are turned to good account, and that it is no harder for God to deal with them than with our supposedly good deeds. I believe that God is no timeless fate, but that he waits for and answers sincere prayers and responsible actions."<br/><br/>In thinking about what Bonhoeffer wrote my mind recalled the Holocaust. It was for sure a great evil. But...what good came from it? There was a need for the Jews to migrate together to form their own nation, hence in 1948, the nation of Israel was formed. Good from a great evil.<br/> Do not say that affliction is from God, but look at it closely and how you are responding. Look to see what it is that you can gain from whatever it is that is happening to you. That does not alleviate the pain or the discomfort or the suffering or sorrow that might occur, but God might be doing a wondrous work. Don't discount it.</div>
<div>D.C. Adkisson</div>Echoes From the Campfiretag:iccanlink.ning.com,2022-01-31:6284697:BlogPost:2157462022-01-31T19:13:28.000ZDon Adkissonhttps://iccanlink.ning.com/profile/DonAdkisson
<p><span> “For it was our way to go onward; to go forward and to try to shape our world into something that would make our lives easier, even if more complicated. Our struggle was for time. Our leisure was bought from hardship, and we needed leisure to think, to dream, to create.”</span><br></br><span> --Louis L'Amour (Bendigo Shafter)</span><br></br><br></br><span> "Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even…</span></p>
<p><span> “For it was our way to go onward; to go forward and to try to shape our world into something that would make our lives easier, even if more complicated. Our struggle was for time. Our leisure was bought from hardship, and we needed leisure to think, to dream, to create.”</span><br/><span> --Louis L'Amour (Bendigo Shafter)</span><br/><br/><span> "Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering."</span><br/><span> --Hebrews 10:32 (NLT)</span><br/><span>------------------------------</span><span>---------</span><br/><span>I have read the verse below many, many times and have heard numerous sermons preached using it as a text. Today, I want to concentrate on a couple of things from the verse.</span><br/><br/><span> "Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us."</span><br/><span> --Hebrews 12:1 (Amplified)</span><br/><br/><span> Who are these "great cloud of witnesses"? I have heard that they were the departed saints looking down from heaven as if in a grandstand. They are hollering, "Go, go, the finish line is just ahead." If a person falters or falls down, one of these witnesses will stand and shout, "Get up, get up, I made it, so can you." It may be Noah, or David, or one of the nameless saints in history. Then I had a preacher friend tell me they could not be those in heaven. He explained that there are no tears in heaven, no sorrow, and if someone from heaven were watching life back on earth there surely would be tears. However, I might add, those in heaven are no longer looking with earthly eyes, but with the eyes of God and see things now from His perspective.</span><br/><span> Remember, this verse follows the great Hall of Faith chapter--Hebrews 11. I like how the Amplified examines the "witnesses." They "who have" borne testimony to the truth. Look back at Hebrews 11 for this verse rests on that great chapter. We are following great examples. They are our witnesses, they have given us testimony. These people, Moses, Abraham, and the others had to fight and struggle, they had to put their faith to the test. "Their walk of faith was a great, great challenge" (Renner) We have these individuals to give testimony to the fact that they made it, therefore, we can make it also.</span><br/><span> We are completely surrounded (compassed about) by these witnesses. They are not hollering at us now, but we have their examples to follow. I think one of the great travesties of our age is that we do not know about the great men and women of the faith. We have several mentioned in Hebrews 11, but what of the others? What of the saints in the 2nd century, the 10th century, or the 20th century. Folks may know the name of Billy Graham, though it is beginning to fade, but few know of Charles Finney, Sam P. Jones, or R.A. Torrey? We do a disservice to the present generation by not teaching them of the great people of faith and that includes those from the Bible. By their faith they made it; by our faith we can as well.</span><br/><span> I remember hearing the great missionary Charles Greenaway say many times in his preaching, "We're going to make it! Some of us may not look like much, but we're going to make it. Some may crawl across that finish line, bruised, battered, torn, and scarred, but they're going to make it." Friend, keep going forward. Fight the good fight of faith--you're going to make it. You may get weary, you may be wounded in the fray, but you're going to make it!</span><br/><span> Rick Renner gives clarification on this first part of Hebrews 12:1, "We are surrounded on every side with powerful examples of people who were challenged in their faith, yet who held fast to the Word of God." That's why it is so important to guard the truth, to be alert, to learn and study, to grow in the faith so that your legacy will say to the next generations--I made it!</span></p>
<p><span>D.C. Adkisson</span></p>